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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24049903">Revali's Bane</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/misofirebird/pseuds/misofirebird'>misofirebird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby &amp; Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby &amp; Alpha Sapphire Versions, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Crossovers &amp; Fandom Fusions, Swearing, depictions or romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:14:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>46,620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24049903</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/misofirebird/pseuds/misofirebird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven Stone's experiments with the dimensional shifter reap some unexpected results. Although progress doesn't come without a price, and guess who has to pay it...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone! I know this chapter isn't gonna make sense unless I post my other stories, so I apologize if it seems strange. And the reason why I posted this was because someone's other fanfic that happened to have an awesome bird in it inspired me to get out of that writer's rut. <br/>May Maple and Brendan Birch are eighteen, while Wally Walnut is sixteen. I don't when I'll finish this, but I hope you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I would again, like to thank you both for coming. Given….what happened last time, I was worried that the trauma would leave a lasting impact,”</p><p>“Technically, Miss Maple should be the one apologizing,”</p><p>I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. That one scientist next to Steven gave me a very suspicious look. I’m sure he wondered why I was allowed back in the Space Museum research lab after the last TWO incidents. He must be trying to anticipate my naughty behavior to prevent any more mischief. Another reason why Brendan was right next to me. Out of everyone, he’s the one most likely be listened to when I get all rage-ified. A polite smile graced his face and simply nodded in an effort to brush off the sensed paranoia.</p><p>“I appreciate you inviting us. We’ll all make sure everything goes smooth,”</p><p>“Yep! What he said!” I responded with a pumped fist. Admittingly, the scientist next to Steven Stone was unmoved by the gesture. Fair enough.</p><p>After what went down when I first came here and destroyed property, to that time I got sucked in a dimension with four hot guys, the worst was expected to hit like an inevitable steaming kettle. The recollection made me frown at my constant stupidity. This time will be different for sure. So what are we doing here?</p><p>“At any rate, the dimensional shifter project has made exceptional progress! We’ve already found it can safely teleport humans across the span of universe…thanks to you…”</p><p>My face was pink with embarrassment.</p><p>“…And just four days ago, we tested the device in reverse. Although, we specifically tried only summoning small, inanimate objects. It would be catastrophic if we brought a possibly dangerous being into our world,”</p><p>I used to roll my eyes at the subject of science, but I long since come to realize how helpful it was to the non-science types. Especially since I was a Pokémon trainer, it’s easy to forget that I owe most of my profession to the nerdy topic. But don’t think for a minute that I suddenly understood all of that geek lingo or became super enamored with all the math that came with it. That’s what Brendan was for. And no, I won’t say Maxi or Steven. Those two were never able to break it down kiddy style for a gorgeous, handsome woman like myself. Doubly glad he was here for being my personal nerd translator in the case they switched their language.</p><p>Fortunately, everything was understood so far. In fact, these objects that Steven spoke of were laid out on the table in a glass case. Brendan and I stared at a strange, red looking fruit, a glob of blue gel and a single, navy blue feather. The only thing I could understand was the feather. My friend looked more interested in the fruit.</p><p>“Wow...this is so cool. Have you tried doing more tests yet, or is this like a ‘once a year’ thing?” I asked while continuing to fixate on the feather.</p><p>The scientist next to Steven felt comfortable enough to answer.</p><p>“Unfortunately, due to unforeseen costs of energy needed to transfer objects, this project may be put on hold for a lot longer. Plus, we don’t know if this may be tampering with the other world’s environment. We’re not even sure if these objects could pose a threat to our own safety,”</p><p>I laughed at that last part.</p><p>“A feather could be a threat to our safety? I don’t think so,”</p><p>“I think he means there could be stuff on the feather that could kill us or something,”</p><p>“Precisely,"</p><p>Oh, right. Still, my death stares could do more harm than this feather, or that glob of that jelly mass. Suddenly a thought came.</p><p>“Have you thought about using that machine in Rustboro City?”</p><p>There was a pause in our small group. They looked at me while their mental wheels turned. It was Steven who first realized what I was getting at.</p><p>“You mean.... that rejuvenator?” He asked slowly while rubbing his chin. “That only revives fossils though, correct?”</p><p>Next Brendan piped in his opinion. “Yeah, but wouldn’t this technically be easier? That machine literally forms organic tissue of fossilized Pokemon. With a fresh sample, it’ll be pretty simple to form whatever these things used to be. Wow, I can’t believe you thought of that,”</p><p>“I know, I know. My genius just continues to be the shining beacon of all you mortals,”</p><p>“Or your ego,”</p><p>“Bite me,”</p><p>I stuck out my tongue out in retaliation. No longer constantly seeking physical reprieve to pay Brendan back. Very hard to do at times I’ll admit, but it's easier to control some of my tempers with him around. Unfortunately, if it was anyone else, flying off the handle was more of a constant. Especially with that stupid, frustrating Profess-GUY. And even when I knew he caused me to be less focused, I still fell for it EVERY time!</p><p>Meanwhile, Steven and the scientist thought about our input. However, there were still unsure looks on painted all over their expressions. Ugh, with all the crazy scientists I’ve had to go against, I forgot how the moral ones always gave a pause in fear of any consequence with every single decision. Maybe they could give me (or Brendan) a break and throw caution to the wind just this once?? My eyes practically got bigger as I took in their faces. Brendan was equally invested in the hopes that we could sway their minds. Half a minute passed before the scientist was the first to break from his thoughts.</p><p>“As plausible as that sounds, I’m afraid there might be a whole issue of factors that would come into play before we even think of preforming so much as a practice run,”</p><p>Brendan and I sighed with disappointment. The scientist with Steven almost looked like felt guilty, because he then added:</p><p>“As fun as it would be, sometimes its just better to be safe than sorry,”</p><p>“UGH. WHY DID I BOTHER COMING HERE?! THIS BLOWS!”</p><p>“Now, now Miss May, this is just one of MANY exclusive projects we’ve been working on. There’s still so many things to see-”</p><p>“That’s better than this?”</p><p>“Well...did collect more data to prove life on the planet that’s the most similar to Earth,”</p><p>Even the scientist turned to give Steven a look. Geez, now I know why I got into the trouble I did.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>A week flew by, and I met up with Brendan and Wally in Rustboro City. We usually tried to all meet up at least once bi-weekly. Calem and the others in Lumiose were awesome, but nothing beat my favorite traveling buddies by a long shot. Usually it was to catch up and/or battle each other. Recently, there was even talk of starting another major trainer journey to another region. Today however, we met up here because I received a message from Steven the day before yesterday. He said he wanted Brendan and I to meet him at Devon Corp. The whole gathering and situation were made kinda convenient since it knocked out two pidgeys with one stone. Sometimes though, I don’t know why I continue to indulge him.</p><p>“Okay boys, what kind of useless thing is Steven gonna show us today?”</p><p>“Senpai, really? You should try to give him the benefit of the doubt,”</p><p>“I dunno. He’s been really missing the mark on his ‘wow’ factor lately. I almost feel like he NEEDS an audience to make up for something,”</p><p>“And we’ll be sure to NEVER say that to Steven’s face. But bet...let’s take those bets, please,”</p><p>Wally heaved a sigh while Brendan thought about his answer.</p><p>“How about....” he said with an unsure reply “Another set of meteorites that are...polished,”</p><p>“That’s fine and all, but I’m going with ‘random mystery finds in the desert’. Remember that? He thought he brought back an ancient dial, and it turned out to be the dial for a stovetop?”</p><p>“Trust me, there’s something MUCH more interesting I have in store,”</p><p>As if by some craft of sorcery, the silver-haired man himself known in our now awkward circle. All three of us (clearly disturbed and ashamed) stared straight at him in disbelief. He however, looked more serene. Almost proud even. How much of our teasing did he hear?</p><p>“If you’re wondering, I heard quite a lot. Poor opinions almost all around, but its nice to know that I’m spared any legitimate harsh criticism. Now shall we go?” he said with both corners of his mouth turning up into a pristine smile. However, as we all nervously agreed and turned our backs, Brendan and I were the only ones to feel an icy gaze drilling into our necks. Good arceus! How are his frustrations making us feel pain?!</p><p>But Wally? his innocent nature allowed him to escape punishment. There was no way I didn’t feel jealous.</p><p>So by the time we arrived at the Devon Corporation, Brendan and I couldn’t so much as look at Steven in the eye. And while he had insisted to be at ease as we were at the doors, the feeling of his glare was still there. It's like he was telling us we would get to live while continuing to push the knife in our livers a little deeper. Not to mention, the path towards the elevator was very uncomfortable.</p><p>“Oh no,” he said while stopping the two of us from taking the stairs like the cowards we were. The grip and pull he had over our shoulders were intense. “That would be way too slow. Did you already forget we have an elevator? It must have been your ignorance that clouded your memory,”</p><p>“HEY! You said you weren’t mad!”</p><p>“Oh Miss Maple...I don’t think I did...oh yes-wait, I’m sure I didn’t. Now get in the elevator,”</p><p>“Don’t think that I won’t kick your ass for this-”</p><p>“HM?”</p><p>“I said I’m getting in there already!” I quickly recanted while dragging Brendan with me. Wally simply stared at our sweat beaded faces. He looked embarrassed. I kept my mouth shut firmly to prevent anything else from slipping out during the ride. Steven came in last, pushed the appropriate floor button, but faced us as the elevator doors closed. He shifted gears with a clearing of his throat.</p><p>“Now before anyone else attempts to guess the next mystery I have in store, let this be known: Today we will make history. Despite our ‘differences’, all of you saved this world. And if that weren’t enough, it was done selflessly. Yes, I realize some of you didn’t quite use your fists, but your ideals and resolve made up for more than enough. I am truly in your debt....which is why I invited you here to witness something that has been on my mind since a week ago,”</p><p>The elevator bell chimed, and its door opened up to the second floor. It was usually busy since all of the company’s products were thought of, built and produced here. However, the atmosphere felt different. For one, everybody wore hazmat suits. They also seemed to be gathering around the fossil rejuvenator.</p><p>Wally looked curious, but once Brendan and I realized the scene, we both caught our breath in hopeful excitement. Steven sort of puffed up with pride as we practically ran over him to see what was going on.</p><p>As our optimism was realized, the glass case we as at the Space museum lab was on the computer desk next to the giant machine.</p><p>“NO WAY!”</p><p>“Yes way,”</p><p>“WOW! I can’t believe you’re gonna do it! But, how did you convince the other guy to let you take the samples?”</p><p>At that, one person in a hazmat suit turned to us. “Frankly speaking, I didn’t,” he replied. Brendan and I looked at the man in shock while Wally was confused as ever.</p><p>“Wait a sec! How come you’re letting this happen?! What about all the risks or whatever?!” I blurted out with surprise. Its not like this whole thing happening was unappreciated or anything like that, but why now?!</p><p>At this, he made sort of a resigned sigh. “Let’s just say Steven Stone has a way-”</p><p>“I beat him in a game of rock, paper, scissors,”</p><p>“Will you shut it?!” cried the scientist, who now sounded mortified at the truth. But then he grunted irritably.</p><p>“It was a best of two out of three-”</p><p>“Just be grateful I’m letting you do this!”</p><p>We kind of snickered regardless. But we really were pretty grateful that this was even happening. So now that that’s outta the way, what’s next? OH! What to revive first? Hm, I there’s that feather...</p><p>I was already by the glass case pointing at the desired object. My eyes were lit up with excitement as I pointed to the it with exaggeration. “Do this one first! I wanna see what kind of thing this turns into!”</p><p>Brendan had a jealous look on his face as he was beat to the punch. For some reason, that boring ass piece of strange red fruit was more interesting. He let out a huff of air and crossed his arms. “Fine! But then we gotta do the weird cherri berry after!”</p><p>Wally simply stood there and looked on with Steven and the scientist. More content with seeing the process in general rather than bicker with friends. Seeing more level-headed than Brendan sometimes did kinda creep me out. Then again, he spent his very early years by himself or his uncle’s family. Or it could be all the mental training he got when he was with his esper Pokémon. You could say he was the emotional fail-safe in our group.</p><p>The scientist came up to the glass case and shoo’d us away before getting a pair of pliers. He carefully opened the case and slowly gripped the feather in its metal hold. Everyone in the room watched as he put it on top of the fossil analyzer that was only a small part of the colossal machine. This beast of a creation was a supercomputer that was half the size of the one in the Space labs, but still just as grand. Next to the supercomputer was this big, cylinder glass case. It was the recreation chamber where the normally fossilized Pokémon would be reanimated. Above the glass case were five glass tubes sticking out of it filled with glowing orange liquid. When I got Anorith, the scientists here explained that it was a mixture of chemical compounds to help mimic the reconstruction of their flesh, organs and so forth. Thus, they dubbed it ‘creation fluid’. Seemed a little like playing arceus, but as long as the Pokémon itself didn’t come crashing through here to obliterate anyone, then it should be fine....right?</p><p>A worker from the lab went to the computer to start it up. He clacked away at the keyboard as the screen blinked to life. The analyzer started to make mechanical noises and illuminated the circular pad the feather sat on. “Systems are functioning normally. The fluid is mixing properly. The specimen is more than viable for extraction. There seem to be no irregularities in the DNA. Preparing to execute,”</p><p>There was a deafening pause as he looked back at the large group. We were so on the edge of our seat in anticipation, that I wanted to throw my shoe at the guy for stopping. But he turned back and pressed a big, red button.</p><hr/><p>The dawn of a new day finally prevailed over the darkness of malice and evil as the former king of Hyrule and the champions watched its Princess and Hero depart the castle. After a century of the calamity haunting the halls of the formerly grand kingdom, they were freed. Now that their roles were accomplished, the king and chosen champions began to fade to give into eternal rest. Revali being the last. There were many regrets, but he was sure Link would do the legwork for him. Funny how jealous he used to be. Now that feeling was miles away. For the sake of the Rito, he hoped that his tribe could reforge their alliance with Hylian kingdom and prosper.</p><p>There was a thought about his people. He wondered how they would flourish during the aftermath. Hopefully well. Revali closed his eyes, and then there was a feeling of something he hadn’t felt in a long time; peace. </p><p>…....</p><p> </p><p>“WOAH! THAT BIRD POKEMON’S FUCKIN’ HUGE!”</p><p>HUH?</p><p>Suddenly, the Rito felt cold and...strangely sticky. More so, he heard muffled voices and struggled to open his eyes. Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? How come he can feel and touch? Was this what the afterlife was like? No, this was something else.</p><p>His emerald eyes managed to open to a very alien sight: Strange monsters with bulky white bodies and strange black mouthpieces. This startled him back, but his head banged against an odd, clear surface. He turned around and touched it with the realization that he was trapped.</p><p>“Specimen seems to be alert and spooked, but stable. Its movements indicate a high level of intelligence,”</p><p>Well, terrifying as they were, they at least recognized his intellect. But they called him a specimen. Was this an experiment? He only knew that the Sheikah tribe talented in technology and such.</p><p>He turned around again and nearly jumped when some Hylian-like being pressed their face against the clear surface in what looked to be excitement. It looked like a girl with non-pointed ears and strange garments. He was very bothered by the way she stared at him. He needed to get out, but how?</p><hr/><p>It was SO BEAUTIFUL!</p><p>“May, get your face off the glass, you’re scaring it,”</p><p>I ignored Brendan entirely as I saw the large bird move about. He moved around upright like Chirpie. It had much more different kind of feathers than that one blue color, though the red around his eyes looked like he wore mascara. Its beak was long and definitely looked like it could poke someone’s eyes-*PING*</p><p>Suddenly, the bird pulled its head back and smashed its beak against the glass. I fell back in surprise just as it did it again. Others were too, but one of the scientists spoke up.</p><p>“Not to worry, the glass is borosilicate. Once it realizes it can’t get out, it’ll calm down some,”</p><p>That fact calmed a few people down, although that bird seemed very resilient in getting out. How long before it gives up?</p><p>I continued to stare at the bird; which by the third peck, stopped and brought its gaze at me. Then it narrowed its eyes at me like it was mad-”Undo this magic and free me at once!”</p><p>And now everyone let out a surprised yelp. This bird can talk?! That made me almost think this was a dream, until he spoke again.</p><p>“Are you deaf?! Remove this enchantment or I’ll break free myself!”</p><p>“...what? You think I did this? You’re in a lab and got revived. I don’t think the first thing you need to do is wander around,”</p><p>“Lab?! So you are a Sheikah! But this doesn’t look like Sheikah technology! If you refuse to release me, have it your way!”</p><p>He then resumed trying to use his beak to bust out. At this point, Steven came swiftly and pulled me on my feet. The look on his face reflected the regret of winning in this first place. Once I was standing, I couldn’t help but flip off the creature who refused to chill. He stopped for a second and moved away, but when he realized it was some sort of gesture, he went right back at it, even harder this time. That’s when my instincts made me reach for Chirpie’s pokeball. Brendan and Wally came beside me with theirs already in their grasp. Steven however did not want to have chaos run rampant and went in front of us.</p><p>“Wait! Let it calm down! There are people to think about!”</p><p>“That’s why we're right here! For all you know, that bird can be a man-eater!”</p><p>“Is that why you wanted to revive the feather, but not that cherri berry?!”</p><p>“SHUT UP! I didn’t know it would turn into a talking mutant!”</p><p>*<strong>CRACK</strong>*</p><p>The three of us focused on the glass while Steven turned around to see the supposedly sturdy glass become compromised. At the break, the corners of the bird’s mouth upturned in an arrogant smile. He struck it again, and that’s when hell broke loose.</p><p>People immediately started panicking and running out of the room. One of them pushed an alarm, that screeched to a point where my ears rang. While that happened, I grabbed the collar of Steven’s shirt and Yanked him into us; and it was a good thing I did.</p><p>As the former Champion fell on the three of us, the glass shattered and the bird leaped right over us. OH SHIT.</p><p>“Chirpie!” I yelled out as I held up the pokeball in the air. It opened up and the light from the ball formed into my beloved Blazekin. Being a seasoned veteran, it took him no time to look around and realize the situation. Then quickly locked onto the target that was nearing the window. He let out a threatening screech that stopped the bird in its tracks.</p><p>“Don’t let em’ leave! Kick his ass!”</p><p>That was all my fire-fighter needed to ignite his leg and lunge forward. His target moved swiftly out of the way and one of the desk computers got taste of his blaze kick instead. The equipment that wasn’t crushed under the force of impact, had melted. Chirpie immediately turned around to deliver an uppercut that missed and left a hole in the ceiling...and the ceiling above that.</p><p>The bird that narrowly avoided his devastating attacks looked at the aftermath, and swiftly seized the opportunity. Suddenly, a gust of wind exploded in the lab. Chirpie back off to avoid his retaliation; though that’s not it was.</p><p>All four of watched as this gust of wind propelled the bird through the holes and into the sky...ON THE OUTSIDE.</p><p>“You know, all things considered, that went over a lot better than I expected. We’re gonna try Brendan’s weird cherri berry now, right?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey readers, posted this way earlier than I wanted to. I know its short, so sorry. Hope you enjoy it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brendan, Wally and I were exhausted. Now back in Littleroot, we agreed on taking a break at my house and figure out what to do next. We sat at the kitchen table and wearily at our snacks while washing it down with soda.  </p><p>It had been a week since that stupid bird escaped the lab and all of us (Steven included) were roped into looking for him. Steven I could understand, but us? That wasn’t fair at all! Hell, the blame should be on that guy who worked at the Space Museum for letting this happen in the first place! Of course, I brought it up, but the man quickly pointed out how I was the one who suggested the dam feather in the first place. Yeah sure, blame it on the girl who knows the least science stuff. I still remember the growling anger in the man’s voice as he laid the blame on thick. </p><p><em> “There were FOUR trainers here, and it STILL got away?! All of you better hurry up and find it, or environmental problems will be the least of our worries!” </em> </p><p><em> “Uh, can’t you help us out?” </em> </p><p><em> “Do I look like I go outside to you?!” </em> </p><p>And that was the last conversation we had from him since. Honestly, I was glad for it; he was way too annoying anyway.  </p><p>Witnesses in the lab aside, we were told to keep this experiment between us since it was technically an illegal use of the dimensional shifter's samples. I don’t know if we would get thrown in jail, but that scientist guy sure would. Steven? Maybe, since he no longer held Hoenn’s champion status. So when my dad walked by the kitchen and saw us half alive, he stopped to figure out why we were so beat. His Swellow had a more menacing look as he tried to scan for any signs of mischief. </p><p>“Why do all three of you look like you’re about to die?” </p><p>We looked at each other, and then him.  </p><p>“Training,” </p><p>“Training,” </p><p>“Training,” </p><p>“…Hm. Well, you’re going to have to pick it up tomorrow. It's almost time for dinner,” He responded by waving us off and carrying on.  </p><p>We all sighed, but it was short-lived when he popped his head back in the doorway. </p><p>“And Brendan?” </p><p>“Huh?” </p><p>“Tell your father I’m still waiting for him to return my tools. It's been a month, and he has a memory of a magikarp,” </p><p>“Yeah, sure thing,” </p><p>Dad finally left again, and I couldn’t help but smirk. A long time ago, my dad's parenting instincts had kicked into overdrive the day I was born, and grew to hate boys out of fear that I’d eventually grow up and get ‘stolen' by one. He taught me to despise boys in a similar fashion, but without my understanding with the same passion he carried, I was wilder with the notion. It wasn’t until I met Brendan, that I started to think dad <em> might’ve </em>been wrong. And eventually, dad began to see the light too. </p><p>Wally was the first to get up and his remaining snacks away in his pack while Brendan followed suit. I put the rest of mine in a pantry and walked them to the door.  </p><p>“Okay guys, tomorrow let’s try going by Slateport,” </p><p>“Why? Isn’t that kinda far from Rustboro?” </p><p>“Hm, senpai might be on to something. Its far but the cycle route connects to Mauville, which is connected to Verdanturf, which connects to Rustboro via the tunnel,” </p><p>“Exactly. That bird probably bypassed Mauville because it's not really nature friendly, and we already checked around Verdanturf. Tomorrow morning at eight, let’s meet up in Oldale. Got it?” </p><p>Both companions gave their nod of approval and left. In the meantime after, I ate, showered and plopped in my bed thinking about what to do tomorrow.  </p><p>Suddenly a tiny mewl caught my ears before a furry face nuzzled against mine. Skitty refused to be just there in the background and demanded attention. I kinda chuckled at her fussiness, but pulled her towards me to be scratched.  </p><p>“Is this your way of telling me not to worry? Or are you just acting like I never pet you?” </p><p>“*Mew*” </p><p>“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get behind the ears,” </p><p>Skitty was the most immature and spoiled Pokémon out of the original team I started off with. But that’s not to say she wasn’t all meows and no bite. And unlike the rest of my team, she never evolved. It's not like she can’t, maybe she won’t? I wasn’t sure, but it would weird so see her different now.  </p><p>The normal-type squirmed around while I tried getting her favorite spots. This went on for a few minutes while she settled down in my arms. Her soft fur next to my face finally got me to sleep.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Hmmmm….geugh….” </p><p>The first thing I could register was the chill of the morning air blowing out of my window. I better close that quickly before it turns into the summer heat. We try to save money on air conditioning by trapping the night air in the house as long as possible. </p><p>Let’s see, its seven-fifteen in the morning, so I got forty-five minutes to get ready. </p><p>Moving a still knocked out Skitty and blankets aside, I managed to get on my feet and stumble into the bathroom; although, it wasn’t a pretty sight to look at myself in the mirror. </p><p>Wild hair and sleepy eyes were always the trademark of every human that somehow pulls themselves out of bed, but I swear, I’ve got to have the ugliest morning face ever. I opened the mirror to get my toothbrush and paste. Nothing that a fresh mouth and water can’t fix. </p><p>I scrubbed every inch of my teeth and tongue until deemed clean, rinsed my mouth and toothbrush, and put it back in the glass cabinet. I then half-heartedly pushed the glass cabinet back-<b> GOOD UNHOLY ARCEUS!!! </b> </p><p>The reflection of the glass mirror on the cabinet suddenly revealed my tired ass face along with a tall bird right behind me with a glare very much meant to intimidate. I quickly turned around, but it was already way too late as his face was close to mine, and his talons kicked the bathroom door closed. Still just as scary as when he performed a jailbreak at the lab, but was now wearing a brown poncho on him like he was a person. Rightly terrified, I unconsciously called out for help. </p><p>“<b> DAD! </b>” </p><p>He continued to stare at me. </p><p>“WHAT?”  He answered back from downstairs. His voice was muffled but still audible. </p><p>“... NEVERMIND!” </p><p>“OKAY!” </p><p>“Hm, wise choice,” </p><p>I didn’t answer back with my usual snarky reply. Being caught with almost my pants down was rare, so coming up with a quick reaction had been unwarranted. But it begs the question: </p><p>“….H-how did you know I lived here?” </p><p>The bird rather arrogantly replied: </p><p>“Well, I didn’t stop to ask the local Hylians, now did I? You and your minions were so engrossed in finding me, that you didn’t even see me as plain as the nose on your face,” </p><p>At this he went to what I assumed was ‘boop' the nose on my face with a feathered finger. He got the feeling of my teeth instead. Nobody I don’t know is gonna be making fun of and nose booping May Maple! </p><p>The bird almost let out something between a shout and squawk while trying to shake me off. When that didn’t work, he bonked the underside of his beak on my head. Even if it wasn’t the sharp point, the force he brought temporarily stunned me into a stupor. That was when he used his great wing to punt me to the floor and hold me there with his talons. I struggled like a beached fish Pokémon. </p><p>“You savage, you bit me,” he growled in a low voice while glancing at his damaged finger. “Maybe I should return the favor before I make you return me back to my home,” </p><p>“How about I beat you to death with my toothbrush instea-wait, what? What are talking about?” </p><p>I stopped writhing for second to think why I was the source of his problems. Well, I guess I did choose to let the feather get revived….and I was the first human face to be seen…and I did tell him he was in a lab. Hold on. </p><p>“Did you just call my friends, minions? I’m not some evil overlord bent on destroying everything that’s good in the world. I’m not <em>that</em> old yet!” </p><p>“Then why were you there at that strange Sheikah lab?” </p><p>“A what? Just call it a lab; that’s all it is! I don’t even know what ‘Sheikah' means!  And can you get off me?! Your dam talons are squishing me!” </p><p>He cocked his head curiously to think if that was a good decision, until I could feel the pressure on your back instantly lighten. I got back up on my feet in a hot second and brushed myself off. It was a good thing he didn’t catch me while gargling water because I would’ve choked for sure.  </p><p>With quick once over, it was starting to become clear that he wasn’t some human hungry mutant who seriously planned to commit an ecological disaster. Still, he was very suspicious. The bird must’ve realized the same thing, because he wasn’t as poofy as he was mere seconds ago. </p><p>“So if you aren’t some evil overlord who works in a Sheikah lab, then how did I get here? Why am I alive? And how do I leave this… hylia-forsaken world?” </p><p>“<em>Here</em>, we like to say arceus-forsaken. There was this feather the scientist nerds found, and they placed it in a machine to bring you back to life. And that’s easy. All we have to do just take you back to the Space Museum labs, shove you through the dimensional-shifter and BAM! Easy as pie,” </p><p>“... Pray tell, odd hylian, where is that?” </p><p>I raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“You keep getting it wrong. I’m called a ‘human’. ‘HUMAN',” </p><p>“Does that matter?” </p><p>“YES,” </p><p>Word corrections aside, he seemed to have a grasp on the situation. Usually beings from another dimension crossing into another in movies never got it this quick. In fact, they were almost curious or defensive to death. Now all we have to do is get this bird to Mossdeep. But first… </p><p>“Stay in here while I change. My dad’s leaving soon but his swellow is always sticking its beak into my business like it knows something's up. You’d like him: He’s paranoid like you,” </p><p>“You say that like it’s a bad-“ </p><p>*<strong>SLAM</strong>!*</p><p>Revali waited in the strange washroom as the strange ‘human’ girl left to change clothes. He looked at his own and grimaced in disgust. The day after he escaped, he quickly pieced together just how alien this world truly was.  </p><p>There were so many strange buildings, animals, and beings. And while they intermingled, he knew the moment they noticed him, he would be out of place. So he was active during the night when most of these strange people went to their houses to sleep. One in particular had clothes hanging on a line to dry. The brown, leather poncho that was hanging was suitable enough. Although, once he went back, he’d immediately into something more comfortable. If he ever got back.  </p><p>She seemed to know what she talked about; lest he find out a sinister agenda and try a more forceful means of interrogation. Speaking of force, he didn’t have his bow or any kind of arrows. Surely there was a weapons shop here? He didn’t have any money, but the ‘human' probably did. He’ll be sure to insist the importance of it. However, another thought crept into his mind: How would the princess react? Well, maybe Link too, but it would be quite strange to just show up after being trapped as a spirit for a hundred years, freed and then supposedly disappear into oblivion only to be brought back by some strange sorcery. The human child still called that place a lab, and while it was vaguely reminiscent of one, the feat of bringing another thing back to life could only be described as supernatural. He’d have to make her go over the process again. </p><p>*<strong>SLAM</strong>!* </p><p>*<em>Creeeeeak</em>* </p><p>I straightened out my clothes and fixed my pack as I opened up the bathroom door again. Skitty, who trailed behind me discovered the tall blue bird hidden away and hissed. The bird looked back at my cat with a disgusted look on his face. </p><p>“What <em> is </em>that abomination?” </p><p>“Asks the talking bird who assaults a person in their own bathroom. But listen: We’re heading out to meet my friends and then going to Mossdeep City, so come on,” I replied flatly while making a gesture for him to follow. He came, but didn’t look pleased on how I addressed him. </p><p>“I’m not a ‘bird’. Where I come from, I’m regarded quite highly as MASTER REVALI of the RITO tribe! Exceptionally gifted in archery and one of the Champions of the Hylian kingdom, Hyrule!” </p><p>“*snort* Yeah, okay. Here you’re just gonna be called ‘Ravioli’,” </p><p>“MASTER REVALI!” </p><p>“Revali, got it,” </p><p>I could hear his talons roughly scraping against our hardwood flooring from his obvious restraint of probably smacking me upside my head. Mom would be pissed if she was here to see this. Thankfully, Brendan’s mom and her went to have a girl’s weekend and left their husbands behind so they could let off some steam. I’ll make sure to blame swellow when she gets back. </p><p>Skitty meanwhile hated the sound Revali was making and would dart in and out between my legs each step down the stairs. Hissing with frustration and made it seem like I was in charge of him. I kinda was.  </p><p>“Hey Revali, you’re pissing off my Skitty with those scratching noises. Lay off or I’m gonna be the one taking the heat,” </p><p>“Oh, you must pardon me! Noises like <em> this </em>?” </p><p><b> *SCRAAAAAAAATCH* </b> </p><p>That set her off. </p><p>Having it up to here, Skitty claws were immediately shown, and she took a huge swipe at my ankle. Five claw marks cut into my skin and stung like hell. The wound started to bleed as Skitty angrily ran ahead. Fortunately, throughout the moment of insanity, I managed to keep my footing. However, now I had to go and get her. Fucking bird.  </p><p>I shot an infuriated look at the instigator, who’s corner of his mouth upturned while his brows narrowed like the smug bastard he was. THIS. WASN’T. OVER! </p><p>My gaze turned back to then waste time corralling in my Pokémon. </p><hr/><p>I locked the door to my house and turned back to Revali with a body full of Skitty scratches. I wish I was an evil overlord right now. The only thing stopping me was my conscious telling me to at least do the right thing and not dump this bird to fend for himself.  My look was much less than pleased. The so-called champion made this exaggerated gesture for me to go ahead like he was some distinguished prince. In response, I passed him with my middle finger aimed right in his direction. He was puzzled by it. </p><p>“What does that mean?” </p><p>“Oh, it's actually a sign of huge respect! It's also used a formal gree-” </p><p>“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” </p><p>“I could be, or you could find yourself disrespecting everyone you meet without that ‘greeting,” I said with a dramatic shrug and took out another pokeball. “GO PELIPPER!” </p><p>The ball opened up and out came my lovable water pelican-like Pokémon. She was the more nurturing and enduring one on my team.  </p><p>From the moment she saw me, she let out a surprised screech and waddled over to me. Her black eyes looked over my injuries, and then saw Revali. I wanted her to assume it was his fault and attack, but then there was this look...one that I didn’t like. Pelipper flew into my arms and buried her face in embarrassment. My face pulled more into frustration. The Rito bird looked confused. </p><p>“What’s it doing?” </p><p>“NOTHING. Just shut up and let’s go,” </p><p>I started walking ahead fuming, but then stopped to remember something. </p><p>“Oh yeah, don’t let just any old body know you can talk. You’re just a Pokémon who can make annoying as fuck noises, okay?” </p><p>“You must have been raised so eloquently. Almost like a spitting image of a princess,” </p><p>“Or you can not listen to me, fuck off, get captured by random thugs and NEVER leave. I won’t care,” </p><p>That fact seemed to keep him quiet as we walked. But I could hear grumblings under his breath while keeping pace. We left the little town and stepped waist deep in the grass. Cries of many wild pokemon could be heard, but not seen. Something that bothered Revali as suddenly flew up into one of the trees to gain the advantage. I kept wading through with Pelipper. His eyes curiously followed me and moved from tree-to-tree. He might be bothered by the animals in the grass, but with a team like mine, they were just minor inconveniences; like that poocheyna who stood its ground to bark at us. Fufu, poor fool! </p><p>“Pelipper,” I said confidently. “Use your aerial ace!” </p><p>In a flash, the water bird’s wing smacked against the body. The extra wind power behind the attack sent it rolling back until we could see it no longer. Call me cruel, but I learned that if you don’t want to be jumped by wild Pokémon, it helps to establish dominance with your strongest team member; which in my case, happens to be all six. That way, they’re less likely to see you as a pushover. Certainly enough, the rest of the route didn’t give me any trouble. </p><p>As we were close to Oldale, Revali flew back from the last tree and landed all graceful-like next to us. </p><p>“So it that what you use your animal slaves for? An animal repellent?” </p><p>I grimaced at the way he described my teammates. </p><p>“First off: they’re called ‘Pokémon’, which is short for pocket monsters. And second: I may catch em, but they’re my battle partners, not slaves. It takes alot of hard work to train them. Hence, why I’m called a ‘trainer’. Someone who goes around catching and training them through battle,” </p><p>“So...trainer...it almost sounds like you’re actually a professional,” </p><p>“I AM. And don’t you forget it. Trainers start young, and their dream is to become the Champion of their regions. A lot of them though kinda stop and fall by the wayside. But there are some people who have them as pets or sign em up for contests. Only dirty scumbags are dumb enough to use them as slaves,” </p><p>“Hm, it seems like it's only in your passion that you don’t resort to swearing. I’m almost interested in what you’re saying, human trainer,” </p><p>“Uh, May is fine. But if you want, you could call me Champion May Maple of the Hoenn region. Gifted in strategies and talented in kicking ass,” I said; making fun of Revali’s earlier introduction. Complete with a graceful bow.  </p><p>This time, the Rito bird boy didn’t get all offended, but simply waved it off with a sway of his wing as we entered town. Hm, I think I almost like him. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Okay, wait here while I get my friends. If we both go in, they’ll think you’re holding me hostage,”</p><p><br/>“Why would they think that? Is that a natural position you find yourself in?”</p><p><br/>“WHAT?! NO!”</p><p>I shot the Rito bird a dirty look while he leaned against the Pokémon Center building. “I’m just sayin': You were acting crazy the last time they saw you. The first thing my friends would do is sic their Pokémon on you. So, stay HERE, and don’t talk!” I warned with a finger to my mouth. Revali stared at me with an expression of disbelief, but tossed his feathery head as a rebellious sign of agreement. My eyes narrowed while backing away to go through the Center’s automatic sliding doors.</p><p>*<em>Ding</em>*</p><p>Revali was alone once more, and silently took in the view of the small town. A great difference between his village; even a Hylian one. These people were more advanced. Almost on par with the Sheikah's modern advancements. </p><p><br/>“H-h-h-hiiiiiii….”</p><p><br/>Someone in high voice called out, from below. He looked down, and saw that a small child with doll in her grasp. It was of an animal he’d never seen. The girl in question though stood unafraid in front of him. He simply stared back wordlessly. <br/>Suddenly, her grubby hands reached out and curiously touched the feathers on Revali’s leg. He tensed up in response, but continued to observe. </p><p><br/>“So-soft birdmon….”</p><p><br/>Hm, maybe these humans weren't all like that irritable, young-*<strong>RIP</strong>*</p><p>“<strong>EURGH</strong>!!”</p><p>The little girl pulled back her hand with a fistful if Revali’s feathers. THAT LITTLE BRAT!<br/>He used his talons to grab ahold of the girl’s face and pushed her waaaaaay back. But this was only the beginning of his unwanted attention. Already, some other people heard his cry of agony and noticed his form by the building. </p><p><br/>“Woah! Look at that Pokémon!”</p><p><br/>“Gosh, what type is that?”</p><p><br/>“Look mom! There’s a tall, bird Pokémon by the Center! Can I go look? PLEEEEEASE???”</p><p><br/>A small group of people. Approached him like he was some form of entertainment. Some of them pulled out these strange rectangles that let out small flashes of light. They resembled small versions of a sheikah slate. Only the one Princess Zelda possessed didn’t already annoy the hell out of him. <br/>Revali wanted to simply turn his back or fly away from the irritating group of humans, but that little brat soon came back to try grabbing at more of his precious plumage, and leaving would alienate him from the other annoying brat who was helping him. That, and he was already boxed in. </p><p>“Hey, who’s Pokémon is this?”</p><p><br/>“Wonder if it’s a wild one?”</p><p>
  <em>*Ding*</em>
</p><p>My travel companions were understandably confused. So, I had to ask them: “So you guys are cool, right?”<br/>Brendan put the down the chips he was feeding his pikachu. His yellow mouse went right ahead and took the bag to finish it off.</p><p>“Let me get this right: The bird who escaped from the Devon Corp lab was following us the ENTIRE WEEK, and decided to go to YOUR house and so it could find a way back to its dimension,”</p><p><br/>“Yep!”</p><p><br/>“I think you’re lying to me,”</p><p><br/>“Nah-uh!”</p><p>“You’re just saying that to get out of looking for it,”</p><p>“Come on, seriously? How does that make sense?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” he said while leaning back on the resting couch in the Center. “Out of the three of us, he came looking for you, the most violent one instead of…me…Wally…Steven even! I don’t think that, that ‘Ravioli’ bird, if that’s even its name, would ever consider stalking you,”</p><p>“Well, he did think I was an evil overlord; and that you guys were my minions,”</p><p>“Senpai, why are you saying that like it’s a good thing?”  Wally asked as altaria tilted his feathery neck. His human partner’s scratches were hitting just the right spot. It was difficult for him to preen himself on that part of the neck.<br/>I lowered my chin on Pelipper's head while she inched her gular towards pikachu's chip bag. Unfortunately for her, he noticed and snatched it just in time. </p><p>“If you look at it this way, it just means I’m a natural leader,”</p><p><br/>“Yeah. You keep wishing to be the ringleader of us. Imagine how worse our reputation would get,” </p><p>I huffed out hot air as Brendan and Wally started getting up. Brendan adjusted his clothes and turned on his Pokénav. “If this ‘Ravioli' bird really is outside the Center, then we can just get him back to Mossdeep. But if you’re wrong…I hope you don’t mind paying for lunch for a week,”<br/>“You’re on!” I exclaimed while shooting up from the couch. Haha…the fool…he was going to-Oh crap. <br/>As we neared the door, even through the frosted doors, the three of us could see silhouettes of people grouping together. Right…I forgot about that. <br/>You see, people in Oldale have many folks who don’t really leave to explore the region. Things have to come to them. And there were also many trainers who pass by.  Maybe he won’t be so mad at me. <br/>Outside, we found Revali trapped by a small crowd of trainers and townsfolk. There were many pokéblocks at his feet. Probably from trainers trying to lure him out. Also, chunks of bread from the kids and parents thinking he was a typical bird Pokémon. On the bright side, he didn’t make a liar out of me. I’m sure he’s not mad.<br/>Brendan was the first to notice, and his eyes nearly bulged out. His pikachu also noticed the pokéblocks and bread, jumped off his shoulder and weaved through the crowd to take the free treats. I followed Pikachu’s path, but not for same reason. <br/>“Okay folks, lay off! This one’s mine, so…leave,” I insisted with a gesture to shoo away the people. <br/>Some backed off quickly. A few had let out a disappointed sigh before leaving. A small handful distanced themselves but didn’t go away. They were full of interest and wanted to see how he interacted with us. <br/>Once Pelipper saw Revali again, well…she forced herself to ignore the free food all over the floor. Meanwhile, Brendan's Pokémon had his cheeks full of bread and pokéblocks.<br/>“Wow…” Brendan started as he studied Ravioli's form. Picking up his partner from the ground. The tall Rito recognized my friend, but remained cautious. “So, May was right…well…it's nice to meet you, Ravioli. I'm Brendan,”<br/>Revali’s wonder immediately reverted back to disgust at the error. Oh, right! </p><p>“Actually Brendan, it’s- “ </p><p>“A 'Ravioli'? Where did you get that Pokémon from?”</p><p>One of the few who didn’t get the message to dip was a trainer. I could tell him to fuck off, but you know how that goes. Good trainers were usually persistent till they get what they want. Hence why he’s STILL here. To be fair, he seemed like a good kid. Hopeful eyes and a head full of dreams. My eyes darted at the three next to me who returned a wary stare.</p><p>“Oh…him? Well…it's kinda complicated…a stroke of insane luck actually…doubt you’ll find another one like him…”</p><p>What am I saying?</p><p>“He was actually a fossil Pokémon...Yeah…”</p><p>That’s sorta true…I think.</p><p>“Out in route one-hundred and thirteen…”</p><p>“The desert on the way to Fallarbor Town?”</p><p>NO…</p><p>“YEAH! THAT ONE!”</p><p>Oh, good arceus.<br/>The trainer seemed pumped at the answer as a sort of twinkle came to his eyes. “Awesome, thanks! See ya around!” he said with a wave before running into the Pokémon Center. I waved back, but now had to turn to the group with a guilty expression on my face. Revali seemed the most displeased.</p><p>“You child…. are the bane of my entire existence,”</p><p><br/>“Come on. Yeah, I kinda got your name wrong…I also sent that kid on a wild goose chase…but what’s the worst that can happen?”</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <em>“And now for the afternoon news! Locals and trainers alike spotted a new Pokémon just outside the Oldale Pokémon Center this morning! Confirmed sources say this new Pokémon species has been named ‘Ravioli'. And just look at that picture! Words cannot describe the majesties of this flying-type. Although…the name doesn’t really seem to fit the picture. Though regardless, many trainers are now combing every inch of route one-hundred and thirteen to find so much of a fragment of the fossil it came from. Stay tuned for an update!”</em>
</p><p>Brendan turned off my pokénav with shame all over his face. Wally looked equally displeased. Revali grimaced in my direction as we sat at one of the picnic tables in Petalburg. The facts and misinformation about our temporary travel companion spread like wildfire more than I thought it would. Though that didn’t stop me from drinking my soda. In fact, I chugged that sucker down before making my case.</p><p>“So what? It's not like he’ll be here for long anyway,”</p><p><br/>“….”</p><p><br/>“And yeah, they’ll probably be shady thugs after us, but when has that ever stopped us? NEVER! There’s plenty of manpower here between the three plus one of us,”</p><p><br/>“….”</p><p><br/>“Oh, come on guys, since when do people listen to the news? You can’t trust any of those guys!”</p><p><br/>“Don’t Gabby and Ty work for a news station?”</p><p>Oh right. I finally threw my hands in the air as I gave up.</p><p>“Okay fine! I screwed up, but what was I supposed to do? They already took pictures of him! There were already witnesses! Was I supposed to tell them the truth and say ‘Hey! This guy’s an alien from another dimension that’s top secret! You group of fame-hungry locals and attention-seeking trainers better pinky-swear to<strong> not tell a soul</strong>’?! Yeah, that would’ve gone well with the nutcase theorists!” I exclaimed as my arms then crossed defensively. Brendan and Wally looked at each other, then to an uncertain Revali, before going back to me. They seemed to gain some sympathy, because their expressions of embarrassment lessened. Brendan held up his face with his hands.<br/>“Hm, that’s true. Still, that means there’s gonna be a lot of unwanted attention on us,”. He took a long drink of his lemonade. <br/>“It's not like we’ve had that before though,” Wally piped up. “Remember when Team Magma and Team Aqua were fighting?” he recalled. Ugh…I do. That was frustrating as all hell. Still, there was a difference with a gang war turned global catastrophe and a finding a new Pokémon- wait. How come that whole gang war thing wasn’t constantly advertised more than the whole Revali thing? That almost literally destroyed the planet! And then there was that thing with Team Fla- <br/>“Regardless of the situation…” Revali interrupted. “There is something I must request,”. Even as a bird, he tried to remain looking like a civil person. For some reason, he didn’t try to get anything at the vending either. I’m stingy, but not that stingy.</p><p>“Since I came to this strange world without anything on my person; and due to the fact that this whole mess we're in is your fault, May of the Maple household, I believe it's your responsibility to provide me with the materials I need for a weapon and proper garments. Advanced as this world seems, I have my doubts about anyone here making something...decent,”</p><p>The three of us have him this look of wild disbelief. Why does he need a weapon?! He’s a giant bird with a deadly beak, sharp talons and can create huge gusts of wind! Hell, he almost looks like an anthropomorphic version of a swellow! Looks alone from him could cause any weak Pokémon to melt. Also, there was this underlying worry that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill a trainer’s Pokémon. I didn’t enjoy imagining the scenario of trying to apologize to a fellow battler that killing their partner on the spot was some horrible accident. I may act like a jackass, but I have standards too!</p><p>“Your weird fetish for clothes I can understand, but a weapon? Don’t think so,”</p><p>“Why not? Is there a reason why you won’t let me protect myself?”</p><p>“You can do that without one! You can sneak around and beat people up! You did that while I was in the bathroom!”</p><p><br/>At this, Revali leaned forward to get that sharp beak close to my face. I backed away uncomfortably so my nose wouldn’t be bonked against. It was like he tested the waters on my authority. Yeah, I totally have authority.</p><p>“You listen well, little girl: I’m not some mindless barbarian who flails their limbs around uncontrollably. I am a WARRIOR! A master at the bow! None can dare to compare to my skill! So, you will give me what I need, or suffer the consequences...”</p><p>“Oooh consequences. Like I’ve never heard that bef-<strong>AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH</strong>!!”</p><p>I never got to finish the sentence, because a terrible pain assaulted my cheeks. The stupid Rito bird seized them to pinch and pull. I tried pulling his arms off, but they didn’t budge. For someone with hollow bones, he sure was strong. Speaking of which, my eyes were tearing up from the plight. Every second I didn’t cave, he stretched my cheeks farther.</p><p>“You WILL give me what I want!”</p><p>“N-NEVER!”</p><p>Oh arceus, I think they’re starting to get numb!<br/>You’d think that my friends would interfere to help me; and you’d be right. But the way they did it, hadn’t helped at all. Mostly Because Brendan tried the pacifist approach.</p><p>“Excuse me, I don’t think- “</p><p>*<strong>GLARE</strong>*</p><p>“Okay, good point”</p><p>That idiot. He’s gonna get it right after I make tebasaki outta this bird! My fingers dug harder into his arms. Meanwhile, my whole face was beginning to feel that same tingly feeling like my cheeks. Must...stop...BIRD! HOW THOUGH?! I racked my head, and then realized it.<br/>My tongue stuck ALL the way out, and give one of Revali’s gripping hands one of the BIGGEST licks I could manage. And of course, I got the reaction I wanted; even though I didn’t enjoy the taste of feathers. He became extremely disgusted and immediately withdrew his hands to wipe the offended appendage on my shirt. <br/>“Disgusting!” he exclaimed with a disturbed gaze. “Were you raised like an animal?!” </p><p>“You got what you deserved! You were gonna rip off my cheeks! Don’t think I’m some pushover that’ll take your shit! You want stuff? Ask nicely!”</p><p>He looked like he was about to explode. All those feathers just puffed up with his terrifying vision zeroing in on me. However, he crossed his arms frustratingly and kept his tone somewhat polite. Meanwhile, Brendan and Wally stared at us with sweat rolling down their faces.</p><p>“FINE. May I...be provided with materials for a weapon and garments?”</p><p>“Nope!”</p><p>“WHAT?!”</p><p>“There’s no way I’m letting a crazy alien bird like you get a weapon! I can’t imagine the body count I’d have to be responsible for! But I guess you can have my permission to put on whatever,”</p><p>And that was the last straw. Revali sat up and turned his back on us. He spread out his wings. We all got on our feet. “Hey! What are you doing?!” I said with an irate look. He didn’t answer back; instead suddenly launching himself high up in the air and flying away until he disappeared from sight. Great. Should we go after him? That would be the responsible thing to do. Brendan gave me this look while Wally couldn’t even glance in my direction.<br/>“Seriously? You just had to go make him mad,” he said with crossed arms. He let out a big sigh as he knew we had to get him back. Maybe appeal to his ego even.  “So what? Were you gonna let him make an instrument of destruction?! Yeah Brendan...let’s give the still strange alien bird something to probably kill people with! I’m sure that won’t come back to bite us in the ass!”<br/>He rolled his eyes. “True, but you could at least be nice about it! Just imagine us...in a strange place with strange people...and we couldn’t be allowed to use our Pokémon. Would you take a sarcastic ‘no’ with a judgy explanation as an answer?”<br/>My face burned as I couldn’t deny his logic. If anybody tried pulling that crap with me, I’d wail on them as a proper response too. I let out a frustrated groan and pulled down my features with angry hands. Of course, I forgot about my tortured cheeks and yelped upon realizing the pain of touching them. </p><p>“Alright fine. Let’s go get him,"</p><p>“Glad you see things my way. You get all that Wa-...Oh,”</p><p>We agreed to go...look for Revali and apologize, but when Brendan and I focused on Wally to get his attention, he suddenly vanished. Dang he was already on it.</p><hr/><p>Now alone in the woods, a very furious Revali began surveying several trees to find one deemed adequate enough for a bow. He wondered why revealing himself to that annoying human girl was thought to be a good idea at the time. Well, he did think she was responsible for his predicament. Technically she still is. No matter; he’ll forget about her and her silly friends and return to that ‘lab’ he came from. Someone there will know how to get him back to Hyrule. Would it be egotistical to say that the princess would desperately need his strength? No, no it wouldn’t.  Of course, she would wonder how he came to grace her and her knight with his presence once more. Perhaps he could tell them that he had to fight his way out of the clutches of evil wizards and witches bent on using him for nefarious means. What a tale that would make. Standing against a vile enchantress sullying his name and making him a mark for capture.  The great Revali making a spectacular combac-</p><p>“H-hi there,”</p><p>The Rito nearly jumped out of his feathers when a timid voice interrupted his search for materials/ daydreaming. He turned around with a wary gaze and realized it was one of the children with that bane on his life. How did he follow him so quick?! Did he possess some strange powers he was unaware of? Needless to say, Revali wasn’t going to be forgiving this time.</p><p>“If you came here on behalf of your companion, save your breath. I have no intention of being a defenseless target,”</p><p>“Actually, I came because I wanted to see what you’re making. You don’t mind if I watch, do you?”</p><p>Revali eyed him for a moment. There was something strange about this one. He sat down in a reserved manner. Everything about him was completely unguarded; and it unnerved him. The odd feeling prickled the back of his neck, but as long as he kept an eye on the child, then at least the element of surprise would be ineffective. </p><p>“As you wish...”</p><p>“Wally,”</p><p>“Hm,”</p><p><br/>Eventually, Revali found a tree with decent looking wood. Now to-<br/>He paused. With awkwardness, looked at his hands and realized: He has nothing to cut with. No...one way or another, he WILL make a bow. Thus, he then looked to the ground. Some sharp rock or thing that will help break the limb off the tree. Wally just watched him struggle with interest. It would be considerate to offer help.</p><p>“You know, if you’re having trouble- “</p><p>“I'm quite capable of doing things myself,” Revali responded rather rudely. The Rito was understandably upset with his current predicament. Although, that didn’t stop a stray nincada from suddenly appearing out of the tall grass. Disturbed by the constant movement Revali was making. And of course, the warrior instantly jumped back on high alert. <br/>The creature started skittering towards Revali to scare him away, but abruptly stopped when he got within two feet of the strange bird. It quivered oddly, and then quickly retreated. He blinked curiously and his gaze went up to Wally. The boy in question hadn’t even moved an inch. Maybe stretched his arms, but nothing unusual. Did it have to do with that odd feeling that was plaguing him?</p><p>“If you’re wondering, there are a lot of wild Pokémon here. They’re not too hostile for the most part, but you’ll have trouble getting the things you need without being attacked constantly. It's kinda funny, because that’s what makes it a hotspot for trainers,”</p><p>“Are you suggesting that I can’t survive without your help? Because if you are, you can leave,”</p><p>At this, Wally leaned forward and hugged his knees.  Those wintery blue eyes of his peered at Revali closely. </p><p>“I’m not. I’m saying that it would be harder for you to go back home. You probably don’t like being told what to do; especially if it comes from a kid like me. And especially senpai. The both of you are really alike, you know?”</p><p>Revali scoffed at response, but now had the boy’s full attention and stalked towards him. As if anticipating his actions, Wally patted the ground as a polite indication to sit. He found that strange, so he purposefully stayed standing; not that the boy had minded either. </p><p>“Just to be clear: Your barbaric friend and I are nothing alike. If she was, then she would at least be more understanding to my plight,”</p><p>“She is...it's just...well look at it this way: You know about trainers and that we have Pokémon, right?”</p><p>“Yes,”</p><p>“Pokémon are just like your bow. Obvious differences aside, they take care of us, make us feel safe and in turn, we take care of them. May senpai...she thinks you being out of place here could cause a lot of ‘harm’,”</p><p>Again, Revali felt offended by the insinuation that he would simply go wild over slaughtering anything he came across. But instead of ignoring him entirely, he held up a wing to stop.</p><p>“If you both were to cease fantasizing about me leaving death in my wake and gaze upon I, the Great Revali more vividly, you would see that am not some sadist bent on destruction,”</p><p>“You sure like to refer to yourself a lot,”</p><p>“REGARDLESS...help me prepare for my departure, and I can guarantee you all, that I will be on my best behavior,”</p><p>“Okay!”</p><p>Wally face broke out into this big, innocent smile while his hand immediately stuck out for a shake. Revali tilted his head at the gesture. The boy was rather a little too trusting of someone he barely knew. That said, it was refreshing, considering what situation he had been thrusted into. Thus, the Rito had stuck out his own winged hand and completed the sign of truce. Now to go back to the others.</p><p>“Now we’ve settled that, let’s-”</p><p>“Oh, I’ve got that covered! You can come out now, Jirachi,” </p><p>As if by the works of sorcery, a strange-looking creature with a star-shaped head suddenly appeared out of thin air; right in-between them with a strange smile seemingly stuck on its face. So, it seems he wasn’t so naive after all. And if that wasn’t enough, the off feeling Reval felt moments ago intensified. Figuring out this creature had been the source of his uneasiness. </p><p>
  <em>“Finally,...you took your sweet time with him. If it were up to me, I’d trap him in his head til he got the message,”</em>
</p><p>And now Revali understood why he felt uneasy. The child-like voice booming in his head had come off as deceptive in face of its context.  Wally however, gave Jirachi a look of disappointment. “This is my Pokémon, Jirachi. He’s not from here either, like you. But...he’s working on his people skills,” he said with embarrassment in his voice. The Pokémon's expression remained unchanged with the exception of the occasional blinking. </p><p>“He might need to work harder,”</p><p>
  <em>“And you might need to work on not begging to die-”</em>
</p><p>“JIRACHI,”</p><p>Jirachi’s human partner’s gaze magnified; which for some reason was all it took for him to be silenced. Regardless, that now uncomfortable smile was still on Jirachi's face. Revali wondered how a weak kid like Wally could put that essentially powerful being in check without lifting a finger.</p><p>“Anyway, let’s back to everyone! Are you ready?”</p><p>“I suppose…”</p><p>“Alright! Can you help us, Jirachi?”</p><p>
  <em>“*Sigh*”</em>
</p><p>*<em>Blip</em>*</p><p><br/>In an instant, Brendan and I suddenly crowded by Wally, Revali and Jirachi while sitting by one of ponds in Petalburg. It was very unappreciative to have that snobby esper-type materialize purposely in front of my face. Purposely scaring the hell outta me as I fed pellets to the goldeen and magikarp. My heart leapt right up to my throat, and I fell right on my butt. </p><p>
  <em>“HAHA! You’re always too easy!”</em>
</p><p>“Tch, fuck you too, Jirachi,” I replied with my nerves settling down from the shock before shakily standing up. The very wrongly labeled ‘wish-maker' kept up that evil laughter like some obvious villain.<br/>To be frank, I never liked that Pokémon. EVER. Okay, maybe when Wally had told first told us about him. That was more like a ‘Why the fuck do you have that mindfuck of a monster on your team’ kind of feeling. There’s gotta be something Wally’s seeing in that inconspicuously evil entity that the rest of us can’t see. Speaking of...<br/>Revali stood there with a wary look on his face as we made eye contact; as did I. Brendan on cue gave me an elbowing nudge. If he wasn’t so right, I would’ve slapped his arm away. Instead, a heavy sigh came outta me while arms crossed defensively. It's not fair for me to be doing the right thing all the time. I feel like this is gonna kill me. I had to move my stare to the ground to finally talk. <br/>“...Hey...look. I’m not really good with this shit. Just promise you won’t like, end up as something that I’ll have to kick the ass of, and you’ll get your stuff, alright?” I almost mumbled. My stomach was twisting into knots from...whatever I was trying to say. <br/>There was silence. Then another nudge of my friend’s elbow. I looked up to tell Brendan to cut it out, but then stopped when Revali’s wing was outstretched. I stared at it.</p><p>“What? You don’t know what a handshake is?”</p><p>“Shut up! I do! It’s just...I didn’t think you were into that sorta thing,”</p><p>“Then what are you waiting for? I’m not going to be standing here all day,”</p><p>I let out a dry laugh, but my stomach wasn’t so tied up anymore as I gripped his wing and shook it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello readers! Sorry about getting this out late.hope you enjoy! Also, I have a tumblr with the same name. Be warned, its kinda bland.<br/>https://misofirebird.tumblr.com/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello readers! Sorry that it took so long to post this chapter! No excuses for me! Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Slateport City’s busy market never ceased to amaze me. There was always something different to look at with numerous vendors showing off so many things. I figured since this place was the closest, we could try to find everything Revali needed here. Only resorting to try Mauville or Lilycove if this short venture turned into a bust. We still kinda needed to return him to Mossdeep. My eyes darted around constantly to find anything interesting. </p><p>“Do these merchants sell black powder? I’ll need it,”</p><p>I did a sharp turn of my head to look up at the tall traveling companion. Never heard of that word before.</p><p>“What’s that?”</p><p>“You know, black powder. It's used for explosives,”</p><p>“WHAT?! Why do you need that?! I thought you said you’re good with a bow!”</p><p>“I am, and it's to make my arrows more effective,”</p><p>“Why don’t you make them pointier or something? Or better yet, <strong>beat</strong> someone with your bow?”</p><p>Revali let out a sigh and stayed quiet for a moment while a shopper passed us. The crowds in the market were a good cover to nobody noticing him talk outright, but he was extra cautious for anyone who got too close to us. When the coast was clear, he resumed glancing around.</p><p>“You poor, silly girl. *chuckles* Bows aren’t used to injure with. Anyone who’s spent even a <em>miniscule</em> amount of time with one would know how...asinine that would be,” he replied as his hand patted the top of my head like I was some moron; which really made my face burn. Revali was really asking for me to rip out his feathers right here in front of their mom and everybody. What stopped the tempted act had been my conscious pleading to not be a jerk for the second time in a row today. So instead, I huffed angrily and turned my gaze elsewhere.</p><p>“Hey look! There’s fireworks!” Brendan suddenly pointed out. Wally, Revali and I looked to where Brendan had faced to see a small stand displaying colorful-looking fireworks in crates. Since the summertime was coming, we had plans to gather all the necessary food and things to party hard. Getting an alien bird back home was important, but who knows when we would have a chance to score something good anytime soon. These were an absolute necessity.</p><p><br/>
Wally, Brendan and I crowded the stand to sift through everything, while Revali stood back to watch us. Does he know what those are? I mean he obviously knows what gunpowder is, but is he aware it can be used for non-combative ways? Because a bird guy like that who’s stuck up has <em>so</em> much of an idea of what fun is! I sure as hell do...</p><p>Zeroing in on the crate full of snap bangers, my hands immediately seized boxes upon boxes of them til my arms were full. Brendan found loads of zebrastrika grass and loaded up. Wally eagerly snagged bunches of tezutsu and almost looked like he was overwhelmed. There was also this big, round one called a ‘shell hanabi’. Didn’t know what it exploded into, but it looked interesting enough to get.  All three of us then cornered the vendor with our supplies in demand to get them paid for. There’s nothing more exciting than getting ready for summer! Okay, maybe Pokémon battles too, but that’s another whole kind of excitement. </p><p>So, after getting our fireworks paid for, we returned to the Rito with brightened faces. He raised an eyebrow at the colorful objects we purchased. </p><p>“What’s that?”</p><p>“Fireworks,”</p><p>“Typical children. Always getting so easily distracted,”</p><p>“Look man, we know how to multi-task! Not everything has to be about you!” I exclaimed while feeling a vein bulge in forming a headache. Wait, is this fucker messing with me on purpose?! </p><p>“If you say so...”</p><p>
  <strong>HE IS!</strong>
</p><p>That unconvinced tone in his statement almost made the bulge build, if I hadn’t remembered this wasn’t the first person to try getting a rise outta me. I had let out a scoff and let the neck vein settle down. Nice try, but I’m not falling for it!</p><p>To somewhat keep my composure, I practically leaned all over Brendan as a form of shelter. He usually got annoyed by this particular act since it invaded his personal space. This time however, he rolled his eyes while Wally had to stifle a laugh. Kinda funny since I used to want to repel his presence. Revali tilted his head at the strange response, but turned his head; seemingly losing interest in messing with me.</p><p>After that exchange, we walked around some more, and found the proper wood for our strange companion’s bow and arrows. Funny enough, it was from a guy who sold wood sculptures with his vigroth. It was pretty weird asking them to sell us the hunk of wood instead of buying a prettily made carving. </p><p>Getting the string for the bow was much easier than expected. Since this was a flea market, there were plenty of fabric stalls to go around. Including ones that sold ariados thread. Infuriating as he was, the Rito had a pretty keen eye being creative. And while we were around them, our party also picked up leathers and other material for the clothes he was going to make-</p><p>“What do you mean, you don’t have tailor smiths here? What kind of self-respecting city doesn’t have any proper shops for garment commissioning? How am I supposed to be decent now?”</p><p>All three of us stared at him with puzzled looks. He kept going on about insulting how stuff worked here, that we assumed he knew how to throw all this shit together. Naturally, I had to inquire about the misunderstanding.<br/>
“Uh, we thought you knew how to put this shit together! You kept being all uppity about Hoenn not ‘making anything decent'! Get a needle and thread; you’ll figure it out!”</p><p>“I can’t…I can only…make my bow…”</p><p>“Oh well then! Looks like we’ll get rid of all this useless stuff,”</p><p>“Don’t you dare! You know how long I spent looking for all of that!”</p><p>“Yeah, and Brendan and I paid for it! Cry me a river!”</p><p>“Hang on, May!” Brendan interjected. Revali and I turned our heads to see him pause briefly in thought. “Why don’t we go see Lisia-chan? She made our costumes. I’m sure she won’t mind taking up a project since the Contest Spectaculars are over for the season. Plus, it would be kinda cool to see how she’s doing,”</p><p>Hm, THAT GIRL. The one who was responsible for dragging us into my secret side hobby had garnered mixed feelings for me. On one hand, she got me interested in wearing…really girly stuff. And not to mention she saved my life more than once. BUT! Every time both Brendan and I arrived together, she’d start gushing over us like we were some couple. I don’t see it.</p><p>“I guess,” I said while my head laid on the side of his shoulder. “Is she even gonna be here though? I mean Lisia-Chan does travel around and outside the region too. We don’t really know her schedule,”</p><p>“It wouldn’t hurt to look, senpai. What have we got to lose?”</p><p>“Ugh, fine. But if she’s a no-show, Revali, you’re just gonna hafta suck it up and settle for your bow, <em>capiche</em>?”</p><p>“Hmph, as you wish…<em>M’lady</em>,” he said with a sarcastic tone. I narrowed my eyes at his disdain for agreeing with an ultimatum, but dropped the matter there before I let my foot explode in his ass. </p><p>“Good! Now let’s roll boys!”</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
The four of us entered the magnificently red Contest Spectacular building to discover that, even in the off season, people still occupied the building. A few were lined up with their Pokémon at the front desk to sign themselves up. There were a couple of them staring intently at their Pokéblock cases to figure out which Pokéblock to feed their partners. The ones that weren’t doing either stared in admiration at the sketches and paintings of contest winners. When our group started going towards the dressing room, some people looked up from whatever they were doing and very much noticed Revali curiously glancing around everything.</p><p>“Hey, you see that?”</p><p>“Yeah, someone’s got a Ravioli,”</p><p>“Aw man, we don’t stand a chance this year,”</p><p>“Skarmory I’m begging you! Just one more Pokéblock, PLEASE!”</p><p>I almost wondered if Revali wasn’t liking the stares he was starting to get, but when I turned my head back to see, it was quite the opposite. Unlike in Oldale where he was practically assaulted by the regular townsfolk and trainers, the looks of admiration (and envy) from Contest Spectacular candidates made him toss up his head like he was royalty. The conversations he caught passing by immediately went to his head. Are his feathers puffing up too? I couldn’t help myself from rolling my eyeballs.</p><p>“If they only knew you were just all show...” I sneered; intentionally wanting to spite him. Being a contestant myself, I recognized the appeal he could get from the judges; which made my jealousy peek out only slightly.<br/>
He heard the comment, and then covered my face with his wing. Feathers were tickling me while simultaneously messing up my hair and bandanna. I smacked the appendage away to cease the physical retort just as we all reached the back room. My hand raised up to form a knocking fist and hit it against the bright gold star painted on the door.</p><p>Hm….no answer.<br/>
We waited…mentally counted seconds…waited some more…Hm, maybe she wanted-</p><p>“<strong>BIRDIE-CHAN</strong>!! <strong>SNOW-KUN</strong>!!”</p><p>OH GOOD ARCEUS. I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.<br/>
Brendan immediately responded to his stage nickname as we turned around to the overly enthusiastic source of the call. I cringed a little before doing the same. Wally wasn’t used to hearing the names as often as us despite being a spectator in some of our competitions, so it took longer for him to realize what was going on. But Revali?</p><p>There was a stifled snicker erupting from behind us; immediately creating the urge for me to stab him with something: Blunt or sharp. </p><p>Speaking of blue birds, Ali's ecstatic cry filled the hallway before Brendan was assaulted by his fluffy, feathery body. My friend cried out with a laugh and scratched Ali's neck before setting him loose to me. And he spared no seconds to land against my chest with his pillowy body. I couldn’t help but giggle at Lisia-Chan’s Altaria, and his cute displays of affection when he shook his head rapidly before snuggling his face against mine.</p><p>“OH MY GOSH! I didn’t think I’d see you two before the start of the season! But it warms my heart to have you here all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by the dressing room!”</p><p>All of a sudden, I was attacked in a near smothering hug. Being double-teamed by a Pokémon and the cheeriest person anyone could ever meet. The super famous Contest Spectacular idol, Lisia-Chan brightened up like crazy in our presence as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. Her petite body let go of me to clasp her hands together in excitement with a very grandiose smile. Ali had also ceased his nuzzling and jumped off me to join his partner doing the most enthusiastic chirps. There was always energy radiating from those two.</p><p>“Hey Lisia-Chan. Long time no see,”</p><p>“I know RIGHT?! And I’m so glad you both came by too, because I need to re-size your outfits!”</p><p>“Actually…that’s not why we’re here. You see, we kinda need a favor,”</p><p>“A what now?”</p><p>“A favor; a really big one,” I said very awkwardly. My body turned sideways so Lisa-Chan could see the tall Rito bird in our group.</p><p>“See that guy? He needs some clothes slapped together. He keeps sa-well…he’s just super spoiled and picky with what he wears” </p><p>Just like magic, Revali’s once arrogant smirk dropped into a frown from my choice of labeling. He can get over himself.</p><p>Lisia-Chan raised both eyebrows and glided over for a look. </p><p>“Oh Birdie-Chan! I didn’t know you went and got yourself one of those Ravioli’s! So many people have been in an uproar about it!”<br/>
She circled him like a sharpedo while looking his height and features. From the way she observed Revali, it looked like she was definitely cooking up some ideas. Revali himself didn’t feel too pleased about some strange girl getting up close and personal.</p><p>“OOOOH BOY! I got a lot of thoughts on the brain about this really, REALLY interesting bird Pokémon, but I’m not doing it…”<br/>
Eh?</p><p>“…unless you and Snow-Kun do something for me first,”</p><p>“Come on, Lisia-Chan. Now?”<br/>
She nodded rather enthusiastically; which hinted at something I would have to embarrass myself over. Was this really worth getting some clothes over?</p><p>“FINE. What do you want us to do?”</p><p>“Wait, why do I have to be included?”</p><p>“Well...” she replied with holding her now flushed cheeks together. “I need promo posters for the upcoming season. Having familiar Contests candidates featured on them is sure to spark attendance! You both are just the perfect couple to act as Hoenn's muses for attendance! Take some pictures with me and I’ll be happy to make your Pokémon some clothes!”</p><p>“…Can’t we just do that…later?”</p><p>“Oh Snow-Kun! Always with the adorable quirks! *giggles* But I know what your definition of ‘later’ iiiiiiis!”</p><p>Dam, she’s picking up our tactics faster than we realized! *sigh* She’s the only one who can do it for free. Revali better appreciate this shit.</p><p>“We gotta do it now, man,”</p><p>“Ugh, alright. Whenever you’re ready, Lisia-Chan,”</p><p>“<strong>YEEEES</strong>! This way Birdie-Chan! I need to adjust your dress first! It's no secret that you’ve finally gone up a cup! And after you, I need to make sure Snow-Kun’s pants aren’t gonna be tight around the crotch area-“</p><p>“<strong>PLEASE STOP</strong>,”</p><p>“<strong>PLEASE STOP</strong>,”</p><p> The mischievous star idol just laughed in response and took my hand to drag me in dressing room with a violent slamming behind us. And when she finally let go of my hand, I pulled out my Contest Spectacular outfit and offered it up. She took it with glee and ordered me to apply my make-up. Yeah, I know how to do it! But if it wasn’t for Lisia-Chan, I’d still be applying lip gloss all over my teeth and poking both my eyes out with mascara.</p><p>By the time I was done, Lisia-Chan came back to drape the outfit over the stool next to me. That girl worked incredibly fast. <br/>
Without messing up my dolled-up face, I put on the re-sized outfit; and noticing how less tightened my chest was. You know…how did she know about what kind of cup size I needed to be more comfortable in?</p><p>“Hey, Lisia-“</p><p>“OH MY GOSH! You look sooooooo gorgeous! Let's get your hair done so we can move onto Snow-kun!”</p><p>“Yeah, so about that-“</p><p>“Come on, come on! I reeeeally wanna see you two super romantic and-“</p><p>“I thought you wanted promo pictures for the upcoming season?”</p><p>“…..Y-yeah! Of course! That’s what I meant-Hey! What’s with that look?! I’m being honest; pinky swear!”</p><p>No you’re not. My eyes narrowed at her in the mirror.</p><p>“L-let’s just get your hair all silky and smooth!”</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
After my hair was finally together, I sat up from the vanity stool and brushed down my outfit with my hands while staring at the mirror. Wow, I forgot how different I looked. Who knew how much someone could change after being dusted in make-up and put in glittery clothes? Ugh, my eyes feel like this outfit is catching too much light. </p><p>Lisia-Chan's eyes sparkled at my transformation; Ali tagging along right behind her. “Now there’s the Birdie-Chan I know!” She exclaimed with a squeal. “*<em>Sigh</em>* I wish you could be like this more often! Being a trainer must be nice and all, but the sparkle and energy of being a Contest Spectacular idol is waaaay more fun! Plus...Snow-Kun might like seeing you all prettied up,”</p><p>“Doubt it. Did you already forget he’s seen me like this a gazillion times?” I replied bluntly with a dismissive wave of my arm. Now I was close to kicking her ass. Oh wait, Revali still needed his clothes! Erh, fuck that bird guy for making me do this! </p><p>I turned away from the mirror and went for the door.  Having a flustered expression stapled on my face as I opened it to see my three traveling companions. <br/>
Wally was the first to react as his eyes grew big from seeing me; apparently, he too liked it when I was in my Contest Spectacular outfit. “Senpai!” He said in amazement. “You look so cute when you’re wearing that!”</p><p>For some reason, I felt kinda flattered when he complimented me. Pfft! Well, with him being my former ‘pupil’ and all, I guess it's only natural to be astonished by their ‘teacher’.... for the fifty-th time. </p><p>“Yes, yes, Wally. It's only natural for me to look fantastic in everything I put on,”</p><p>“May, are you posing?”</p><p>“SHUT UP BRENDAN! I SO AM NOT!”</p><p>I totally was. But he wasn’t gonna get the satisfaction of being right. So instantly, I put my hands at my sides like a stiff board as he walked closer to me for a thorough examination.</p><p>“Wow, Lisia-Chan really did a good job on your outfit; it fits a lot better than last time I saw you wear it. Did she do your make up too? The color compliments your clothes,”</p><p>“Actually, I did that,”</p><p>“Really? You should do it more often. Not that you need it or anything. I think Lisia-Chan's talents are finally rubbing off on you,”</p><p>Hm.</p><p>“Seriously? I dunno about all that. I guess-”</p><p>Something clicked in my head. I turned the top half of my body around to see the Contest Spectacular idol holding her face with that dreamy look in her eyes. I instantly grimaced in her direction to snap the teen out of whatever fantasy she was lodged in. She knew what I knew she knew, but tried to act all innocent with the sudden airhead façade expression. At least this kind of mastermind was relatively harmless.</p><p>“Oh boy! It’s your turn now, Snow-Kun! I promise to make sure you’ll look handsome too!”</p><p>“Wait, what do you mean ‘too’? May’s not a guy,”</p><p>“Silly Snow-Kun! ‘Handsome’ isn’t exclusively just for boys! It never has been! But let’s not waste time talking about that! In you go!” she replied while pulling him into the dressing room. He didn’t have time to react as the door once again, violently slammed after his free hand passed the threshold. </p><p>“…..<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!<strong>HA</strong>!”</p><p>My ‘mockery’ senses suddenly tingled as what sounded like unleashed laughter erupted behind Wally and I. My stomach was beginning to lurch from how dizzy I was getting from all this turning around, but there he was, that FUCKIN' Revali! Looking like he was about to piss himself from laughing. Does he WANT me to kick his smug ass right here in front of arceus and everybody?! My face heated to a deep red color.</p><p>“Shut your fuckin mouth, you upstart piece of shit!”</p><p>“Now that’s no way for a lady to talk…although, ‘<em>lady</em>’ is a word I can only use loosely,”</p><p>“I ain’t no lady! I’m a woman! Women get shit done, like beating you to death with my heels if you keep up that laughing!”</p><p>“I sincerely doubt that,” he said while taking the time to observe my new appearance. He had a curious expression on his face as if I was some physically different person. “You really should give me some leeway; I mean, I didn’t think in a million years that you could actually look less like an uncultured bokoblin,”</p><p>“What’s a ‘bokoblin’?”</p><p>“What does a wild, filthy boar look like in your world?”</p><p>“FUCK YOU, BIRD BOY!”</p><p>“Wait senpai! Put your heel back on, he didn’t mean it!”</p><p>Wally was trying to full nelson me as one of my hands seized Revali’s poncho, while the other was unclasping my fancy shoe. The self-proclaimed champion however, made no try to stop my advances. Although that may have been because I couldn’t even budge him forward. Dammit, I need to pack on more pounds! </p><p>It might also be because he had a secret intuition that I couldn’t balance properly on one leg wearing heels while being pulled back. What ended up happening was me losing it, and falling into Wally’s grasp with a scowl on my face. Great, if I threw the shoe now, it would look like a pathetic attempt...So, I did it anyway. It wasn’t a great throw, and ended up hitting the wall behind him. </p><p>Revali shook his head like he was some typical disappointed parent. “Had you learned some semblance of archery, maybe your aim could’ve been better. I’d almost be tempted to teach you, if my services weren’t required by the Princess of Hyrule,”</p><p>“Yeah, right!”</p><p>“Say what you will, non-believer, and continue to lay there like the quitter you are,”</p><p>“PLEASE REVALI, NO! don’t egg her on!”</p><p>“OH YES REVALI! CONTINUE! I’D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT OTHER SHIT YOU HAVE TO SA-”</p><p>*<em>Creeeeeeeeak</em>*</p><p>The current beef arising between Revali and I dropped the moment the dressing room door opened. Brendan came out wearing his cool Contest Spectacular attire and a very concerning expression on his face. He gave us this warning look just as Lisia-Chan emerged into view; her face sparkling in pride of her work. I do have to hand it to the girl though; Brendan did look pretty amazing. </p><p>“Hey guys, I know you’re really excited about those fireworks, but maybe you should ‘<em>NOT TALK SO LOUD ABOUT IT</em>’ while we’re here in the hallway. Lisia-Chan and I ‘<em>PRACTICALLY HEARD EVERYTHING</em>’,” he said with very judgy enunciations. Wally, Revali and I blinked in realization that the door wasn’t completely thick enough to be sound-proof. Whoops.</p><p>“You know, Snow-Kun, it almost sounded like fighting-”</p><p>“Over the fireworks! Yeah! Wally and I were arguing about who’s gonna set off the first one! I mean, summer is a HUGE deal for us!”</p><p>“But why is he holding you like that?”</p><p>“Well... my DUMB Pokémon was confusing the fireworks for food and tried to shove it down his throat!”</p><p>Revali’s face contorted to anger as he couldn’t speak up to defend his intelligence. I feigned an innocent look. </p><p>“It's kinda sad; he’s just all looks, ya know? He actually tried to gulp down our supply of zebastrika grass! I was trying to get him to stop, but he ‘pushed’ me away and Wally had to break my fall...”</p><p>Brendan clearly didn’t buy the explanation as his gaze narrowed, but it wasn’t for him anyway.</p><p>“The only thing I could do was just throw my shoe to throw him off guard. He gets easily distracted by things like a five-year old,”</p><p>“Oh, that’s so sad! But don’t worry: I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into anything when I get him all gussied up!”<br/>
I snickered at her belief in the lie, but then stopped when I realized something.</p><p>“Wait, what?”</p><p>“And Ali too! He’s got a very sharp gaze!”</p><p>“Not that-”</p><p>“OH! You thought you were coming in with him? Oh no! I want it to be a surprise! It also helps that I be alone with Ali to conjure up my inspirations! You understand, right?”</p><p>“Not really-”</p><p>“I’m glad you do! We’ll be a little while, so I hope you try to come up with some good poses while we’re away!”</p><p>“But wait-”</p><p>“Come, come, Ravioli! Oh! And let me take <em>this</em>!”</p><p>Lisia-Chan swiped the bag of material without a second thought before taking Revali’s wing and dragging him into the dressing room. After the door slammed for a third time, all of us had to think for a minute of how Lisia-Chan hijacked the situation.</p><p>Then Brendan came over to pull me up to my feet by my arms.</p><p>“Geez May, I can’t even get a costume change without you two going at it,”</p><p>“It's not my fault!”</p><p>“Keep your voice down,”</p><p>“It's not my fault. He started it,”</p><p>“Well I’m ending it. You two need to find some way to deal because this is getting ridiculous,” Brendan scolded while pushing a lock of an unruly, stray hair behind my ear. I puffed out my cheeks in a pout. It's almost criminal about how right he is.</p><p>“Whatever...... I like your hair, by the way. It looks less stringy and more fluffed. Different hair gel?”</p><p>“Thanks. I thought nobody would notice the difference. By the way, Lisia-Chan is scheming to fuel her delusions. We need to split after Revali gets out,”</p><p>I chuckled as Brendan came to the same conclusion as me. She must’ve let something slip while fixing him up. Fortunately, we had a way to wait for Revali and leave without catching her eye. So naturally, we both turned to our third friend with plotting faces. The youngest of us didn’t know how to feel about tricking Lisia-Chan, but comfortable wasn’t one of them. All we had to do now, is wait for the ego-bloated ass bird to come out. </p>
<hr/><p>“Oh this’ll look SOOOO marvelous when I put it together!” said the strange girl as Revali cautiously stayed away. She rummaged through everything and pulled out the different fabrics and leather; only to stop upon pulling out an ingot of iron. “HAHA! Birdie-Chan has too much faith in me! I’m not a welder! Or was she thinking that I knew someone who does that stuff? What do you think?”</p><p>Revali continued to be silent. The odd cloud bird known as ‘Ali’ chirped curiously at him. Perhaps it was trying to communicate? He could only back at the two with apprehension. While his three companions seemed to trust them enough, even their occasional hesitation at her words spurned doubt. As long as he stayed silent, (since he was adult enough to handle) getting through mere hours would prove to be trivial.</p><p>"You know, if you were trying to be secretive about talking, you could’ve been quieter when fighting with Birdie-Chan; not that I didn’t pick up anything to begin with,”</p><p> Wait.</p><p>Very suddenly, Revail’s eyes widened in surprise. Now he was almost too shocked to reply back. Maybe those two were onto something about being (not so) secretive.</p><p>“...I...h-how did you know?”</p><p>“Me? Weeeeeeeell, Ali was the one who noticed first! He gives off a kind of vibe whenever he’s around strange people; something that doesn’t happen when he’s trying to talk to Pokémon. Speaking of which, most bird Pokémon, or dragon-types, aren’t so quiet! They’ll be whistling or chirping at you a mile a minute! Don't tell me you’ve never woken up to them?!”</p><p>How could he forget? His first camping venture with them made him want to throttle a few strange ones when they woke him up abruptly. On top of the off-sleep cycle, the creatures had mistaken him for one of their own, and proceeded to screech at him to communicate back. Revali was extra groggy for several days before coming to terms with the madness.</p><p>“Yes...it was unpleasant...but if you already knew, why put up the charade?”</p><p>Lisia-Chan was already by Revali with a tape measure; noting his size with the bright yellow tape and nodding thoughtfully. She went to a table with a large machine with a small needle. A spindle? No, it looked too different. There was a small pile of papers with a pencil at the desk. The girl wrote his measurements down. “I just like to have some fun every once in a while! I mean, that improv from Birdie-Chan and Snow-Kun! It was beautiful! She stilted at the beginning, but her recovery was fantastic! The way she conjured up a whole story after a simple line from Snow-Kun; OH! It was like they were made for each other...”</p><p>Revali came up behind her just as she turned around. Smile and all with a pencil strangely held up like a knife. “...So, if you do anything to threaten my precious ship, don’t think I’ll be as forgiving as them. You understand, yes?”</p><p>“Are you threatening me?”<br/>
“That depends...you’re not trying to move in on anything, ARE YOU?”</p><p>There was a tense aura that filled the room. Revali had to wonder all juvenile women here were unpredictable little psychopaths. That would explain a lot.</p><p>“Personally, I prefer to leave this place quickly...and repress my memory of it,”</p><p>“Oh good! Then let’s continue!”</p><p>As quick as it came, the uncomfortable aura he felt vanished and was replaced jovial excitement; something that he started to question if it was genuine. But she was the one who brought him a step closer to garments, then all that mattered were her skills. Ah! And since they were transparent about communication now: </p><p>“If I may. I’d like to make the design,”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>Revali politely held out his hand for the pencil. Intrigued by his sense of chivalry and curiosity, she obliged him and stepped back to see what he would come up with. Truth be told, Revali was taken back by the little, wooden device that required no ink. He thought that with the wondrous technologies in common abundance, it would be slightly more…eye-catching. Nonetheless, he got to work; scribbling away while at the same time be fascinated on how smooth his hand went as it guided the instrument along. Lisia-Chan and Ali peeked from behind his shoulder to get glimpses of what he set about making. <br/>
Strangely, Revali felt proud. Maybe it was from the sense of imagining how it would fit on him again, or someone was being impressed by his work. Either way, it filled him with pride. Perhaps…that Maple child wasn’t such a bane on him…but he wasn’t going to let her know that.</p><p>
  <em>Many Hours Later….</em>
</p><p>It had been Revali’s turn to watch as Lisia-Chan worked her machine to mend the materials into his garments. For someone who scarcely knew him, she seemed to understand his sense of style quite well. Was she secretly a kin to the fabled fairies who thrived in springs? Hah! If that were true, she wouldn’t need a machine to accomplish her task. Still…</p><p>“Aaaaaaaaand DONE!” she squealed with joy as she held out the finished pieces for the Rito to take.</p><p>Revali slowly reached out and took the garments for a close inspection. From his foot guards to the royal blue scarf that replaced his old, white one, it looked… eerily identical. That’s not to say there wasn’t a noticeable difference. An absence of a metal chest plate aside, the material was less coarse in texture and felt lighter than what he was used to. Truthfully, he was unsure if its integrity would hold well in battle, but it was a better alternative than the poncho. Time to change.</p><p>“Hm, it seems my companions were right to give you merit for your work. You have my deepest profound gratitude,”</p><p>“Oh shucks!” She responded with glowing cheeks. “It’s just a little something I learned from my uncle! I only hope you’re able to wear it with gusto!” </p><p>He smirked with an agreeable nod before going into a small dressing room. Once inside, Revali eagerly casted aside the hideous poncho to the corner and took another moment to admire his new clothes. Now he could be decent for battle and look presentable for the princess upon his return. <br/>
It took ten minutes for him to put everything on. Goddesses, it felt so right. Every piece that came onto him fitted perfectly. So, by the time that he came out of the dressing room, a sense of pride he thought was lost, came back in full force. Lisia-Chan and Ali would soon be standing in the presence of a revived Rito who seemed to glow in radiance; if that were possible. </p><p>“OH MY GOSH!” Lisia-Chan said with excitement. Ali trilled in equal enthusiastic amazement. “If Birdie-Chan would enter you in a coolness contest, you’d win for sure! *sigh* I can already feel chills!”</p><p>“I have no idea what that is, but the compliment is much appreciated,” he said with a slight toss of his head. </p><p>Revali’s smile was much broader now as a smug look came upon his features. Now there were only the finishing touches to add. <br/>
His feathered down on the back of his head needed to be taken care of, so he went for the looking glass, to the small box that held hair accessories. What he saw was nothing short of confusing. It was all different, colorful bands that were way too small. Perhaps there was a ribbon somewhere he could use?</p><p>But before he could look for one, Lisia-Chan was already beside him; looking through then until she spotted a green one and picked it up. “I think this one would go great against your feathers! It contrasts nicely without making your color scheme too busy!” she said while using her fingers to so widen the- wait… how could that expand?! </p><p>“Interesting… that little thing,”</p><p>“Oh this rubber band? Yeah, I like using these types too! This brand doesn’t does break so easily!”</p><p>“Hmmmm, a ‘rubber band’…"</p><p>Revali picked up one and imitated what the girl was doing, and became astounded. Perhaps he should acquire more of this before returning. Let’s see if it held up in his feathers. </p><p>The Rito gazed at his impressive self through the looking glass, and began to braid. Taking advantage of the band's unique properties, he stretched and twisted it until it tightly wound around his down. Revali inspected the braid, and was quite pleased at the result; so he did the same with the other three. When his feathers were in his stylish four braids, the champion nearly felt like a complete Rito again. The only thing left to do now, was a task that could be easily accomplished himself. </p><p>“<em>Oh Revali, you handsome devil… not even the great goddess, hylia herself will be able to resist you…</em>” he thought while staring at himself to smooth down a stray feather here and there.</p><p>“Wow, you look SPECTACULAR! I almost want to use you for a contest promo! But alas, my heart yearns to fuel my passions for Hoenn's most sparkling couple!”<br/>
“You seem to pour all your interests into those two. I’m curious as to why. One of them is reprehensible at best,”</p><p>“Oh Revali… you haven’t been with them long, have you?”</p><p>He was taken back by the unexpected reply. While Revali wouldn’t be surprised if she came up with an excuse, this wasn’t even close to how he anticipated it would play out. So it was only fair that he tilted his head in puzzlement. Lisia-Chan's smile only got bigger. </p><p>“Well… no. But I don’t think I will be for long. There’s something important I need to do,”</p><p>“Really?! That’s too bad!”</p><p>Why does she think so? Well, she didn’t really know that he had came back from the dead and wished to resume his duties as Champion.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>It had only been a split second, but the moment he took the time to actually consider what he had been through, the memory made Revali suddenly feel as though a great wound attacked his chest. He was instantly startled and quickly shook his head.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>When he found himself again, both of his hands were clenched into fists while he had stared intently at the girl.</p><p>“Not really. The prospect of staying with a trio of children quite nearly drove my mind to the edge of my sanity,”</p><p>“Oh gosh, don’t be so dramatic! They’re better than they look! Now let’s go and show you off to the others!”</p><p>Lisia-Chan hastily grabbed Revali’s hand and pulled him along with absolute glee. Something that he had a difficult time resisting. For a girl that was only slightly taller and more mature-looking than that girl he traveled with, this one knew how to impose things on others. It’s a good thing he didn’t know someone like that personally.<br/>
Speaking of, the young girl literally slammed the door open and-“Hey! Where'd everyone go?!”</p><p>Instead of finding his three companions waiting outside in the hallway, not a soul was witnessed. Did they abandon him?!</p><p>Lisia-Chan let go to hold her chin in thought. If he were being fair, they did take a long time in the room commissioning his garments. But to not inform them of their absence?! </p><p>“They can’t have gone very far! I mean, they wouldn’t just up and leave when they have a promo shoot to do!”</p><p>And leave him behind.</p><p>“I-I'll go see if they’re just in the contest hall!”<br/>
The way she stuttered her sentence made the girl look like she was growing hysterical. Perhaps it was the trick they pulled on her. Does this happen often?</p><p>Even the way she skittered off reminded him of how heartbroken women would chase after their lovers who had just scorned them. But there were bigger problems: What was he supposed to do now?</p><p>But, just as the question crossed his mind, his shoulders were suddenly seized from behind. Revali was about to cry out in surprise, but his beak had been held shut by a strong pair of hands. Before he knew it, he was getting pulled back into some partially casted shadow in the hallway. What in the name of hylia-</p><p>“<em>SHHH</em>. Don’t say anything, we’re getting outta here. Lisia-Chan can’t know ANYTHING,”<br/>
Hm?</p><p>“I like your clothes,”</p><p>“Eh, they’re okay,”</p><p>Wait a minute. He knew these voices.</p><p>“Hang tight. Jirachi is gonna get us outta here,”</p><p>That thing again?</p><p>"<em>I heard that.You're lucky I want to sleep after this</em>,"</p><p>In a blink of an eye, Revali, his three companions and one possible monstrosity disappeared fro the hallway in the blink of an eye.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone, <br/>I decided to post this now because I failed to post it last week due to it being incomplete. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Also a side note, I did not play all the Pokemon games because that would be nigh impossible, so if you see anything that you feel is off, just please forgive me for not playing the game that would've disproved some of the logic with the canon and spin-off games. It will be apparent in this chapter. Again, if you have any questions, comments and/or concerns, post it up on my tumblr!</p>
<p>https://www.tumblr.com/blog/misofirebird</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>At the </span>
  <span>Slateport</span>
  <span> Harbor, Brendan, Wally, </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> and I stood in line for tickets to </span>
  <span>Mossdeep</span>
  <span> City. Just like the city, this place had been just as immensely packed with people and Pokémon. We made sure to cling together to avoid getting swept away by the crowds.  </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been an hour since we successfully escaped </span>
  <span>Lisia</span>
  <span>-Chan's sphere of influence at the Contest Spectacular. Frankly speaking, even though we knew her end of the bargain was a ruse to feed her unrealistic desires, there would be endless shame abound should she find us. Thus, our swift departure to the island city was very necessary. </span>
  <span>So, why</span>
  <span> didn’t we use </span>
  <span>Jirachi</span>
  <span>? Well:</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I expended all my energy for the week. As per our agreement, I’ll be sleeping for the next two weeks. You can thank your worthless puppets you call ‘friends’ for that</span>
  </em>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah, that’s why. That </span>
  <span>esper</span>
  <span>-type really enjoyed bringing everything down. So why didn’t we use our other Pokémon to travel? Easy answer; because I didn’t want to ruin my beautiful Contest Spectacular outfit, that’s why! Saltwater is my fancy clothes’ greatest enemy! We can escape now in comfort while getting off our stuff in our cabins! And while we’re on the subject...</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three of us had our tickets punched by the ticket master as we made it to the top of the ramp. He briefly tipped his hat in a friendly greeting. Since </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> looked like a Pokémon, it was easy for us to avoid payment of an extra ticket. You know, I’ve been spending a ton of money lately. I hope there’s trainers on this ship so I can replenish my funds.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, as we boarded and made our way down into the bowels of the ship, people started noticing us. Not just because </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> this time, but mostly due to the fact some of the passengers were familiar with Brendan and I’s secret personas. I mean what </span>
  <span>Lisia</span>
  <span>-Chan kept calling us by. We didn’t have star power like the master of all, herself, but we did get recognition. However, thanks to a make-up and costume change, it was difficult to lump our trainer identities with our Contest Spectacular ones. Add our ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>slight</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ personality change, and you got a brand-new pair of people! How did we do this you ask? It’s with a smile and catchphrases such as:</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“SWEET LIKE PIE!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“ALL AROUND SUPER!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Our finger guns were like nobody’s business. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> didn’t get any of it, causing him to be rather bothered by the change in our demeanor. I think he was especially disturbed when I flashed him the brightest, girlish smile my cheeks could manage. But as uncomfortable as he was, the few witnesses around us seemed to buy our act; one or two sneaking a picture. And maybe just to piss him off a little, I made my hands form a heart and held it against his chest while saying:</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“LOVELY BLUE BIRDS KEEP GRAY SKIES AWAY!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Good </span>
  <span>arceus</span>
  <span> did he hate that. Okay, okay. I REALLY should stop messing with him; he’s been through enough already. Although, I don’t think it helped that someone snapped a photo just</span>
  <span> as</span>
  <span> I did that.</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>“Birdie-Chan’s got a Ravioli too?</span><span>! </span><span>Where are people getting that </span><span>Pokémon</span><span>?!” someone </span><span>had said behind our group as they talked to another.</span> <span>I really should feel bad about </span><span>starting up an impossible trend, but at least with this one, NOBODY could </span><span>get popular off of it. So, I wasn’t very guilt-ridden.</span><span> Well, maybe for the trainers camping out in the desert-</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly as we turned a corner, </span>
  <span>a knife was </span>
  <span>thrusted</span>
  <span> into Brendan’s face</span>
  <span>. That’s when we </span>
  <span>noticed some guy with biker clothing</span>
  <span>, along with </span>
  <span>a </span>
  <span>muk</span>
  <span> standing in our way. </span>
  <span>I don’t think he knows how challenging a trainer works.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey </span>
  <span>kids, I see that you have a Ravioli with </span>
  <span>ya</span>
  <span>. Hand </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> over, and I won’t have to </span>
  <span>make things messy,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span> I looked at the biker with the sweetest expression…right before my fist connected to his eye in extreme prejudice. What? You thought I was </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> battle him? And ruin my identity? Fuck NO!</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The would-be thief shouted in pain and fell back on his partner. The poor thing had to catch the full weight of the man while I towered over them. I confiscated the knife and held i</span>
  <span>t i</span>
  <span>n the same fashion.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Gimme</span>
  <span> your wallet,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>“Oh, I’m so </span><span>sorry</span><span>!</span><span> I meant </span><span>gimme</span><span> your wallet or </span><span>I’m </span><span>gonna</span><span> break all your teeth</span><span>; but </span><span>nice and slow now…there </span><span>ya</span> <span>gooo</span><span>!” </span></p>
<p>
  <span>With a sweet ‘</span>
  <span>yoink</span>
  <span>', I </span>
  <span>promptly </span>
  <span>snatched it up with my free hand. </span>
  <span>Of course, I didn’t really want the wallet, only the money that was inside.</span>
  <span> I used the thumb of my knife-holding hand to help open the thing up, take what was in there, and </span>
  <span>drop the leather </span>
  <span>holder on his face.</span>
  <span> My smile returned in full force.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“HAVE A SWEET KIND OF DAY!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I turned back to </span>
  <span>see </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> understandably looking horrified at what he just witnessed</span>
  <span>, while Brendan and Wally had more </span>
  <span>apprehensive </span>
  <span>expressions on their faces. As we passed the thug, Brendan </span>
  <span>and Wally simply looked upon what I had done</span>
  <span>; looking slightly regretful of my actions</span>
  <span>, but kept tight lips on the matter.</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>When we were reached our assigned cabins, </span><span>Revali</span> <span>immediately made the most astute observation.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“I'm going to assume it's because I was here, that you didn’t attempt to eat the man you just robbed,”</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>“What?</span><span> He was trying to kidnap you. And he had a blade close to Brendan’s throat; a blade that’s </span><span>now your carving knife by the way,” I said while casually tossing the dangerous weapon into his feathered hands. “Besides, </span><span>I</span> <span>need</span><span> money</span><span>. But if it makes you feel better, </span><span>I only </span><span>steal </span><span>money from useless thugs</span><span>,”</span></p>
<p><span>So what if I stole </span><span>stuff</span><span> from thugs?</span><span> With a lifestyle like that, they got what was coming to </span><span>them.</span> <span>Adm</span><span>ittingly</span><span>… t</span><span>he</span><span>re were…</span><span>’</span><span>things</span><span>’</span><span> I couldn’t </span><span>let go of as a little kid.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>I almost feel as if I’ve been inducted into a growing fiefdom,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually…” Brendan chimed in. </span>
  <span>“It was either that or have her </span>
  <span>escalate the beatings into </span>
  <span>inhumane </span>
  <span>torture. </span>
  <span>And since I’d rather have May </span>
  <span>stay somewhat wholesome, we both agreed </span>
  <span>theft was a ‘better' alternative,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh Brendan, I didn’t know you cared so much about me,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Personally, I'd prefer that you stopped doing all that. It's not really a good adult trait,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hm.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I chewed mentally on what he said for a moment.</span>
  
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh, whatever. I </span>
  <span>dunno</span>
  <span> about you guys, but I’m ready to take this stuff off. I’m tired of being pretty,” I casually responded in changing the subject and taking out the keycard to the cabin. Brendan sighed in disappointment, as he thought his suggestion went ignored before getting out he and Wally's assigned keycard. We could’ve camped out together in one room, but the four of us in a small space plus our Pokémon would’ve gotten cramped. It was something we learned the hard way. And because my best friend in the whole, wide world thought I should make nice with </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>, I reluctantly agreed to forgo being his bunking buddy so I could hang back with the </span>
  <span>Rito</span>
  <span> bird guy. </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> better be a fucking saint for making me do this!</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Okay guys, we’ll get some rest for the night, </span>
  <span>meet up for breakfast </span>
  <span>tomorrow morning </span>
  <span>and train. </span>
  <span>The deck has a battling </span>
  <span>zone we can use. Sound like a good plan?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Sure thing.</span>
  <span> Also, we need stock up on </span>
  <span>full restores and </span>
  <span>some reserve max potions. The money I got can get us a few, but we’ll need to make more while we’re here</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Agreed. And it's really important for us to practice our mental exercises. Brendan; you're still getting too anxious during long, drawn out battles. And </span>
  <span>Senpai</span>
  <span>, your frustrations are causing your Pokémon to try overexerting themselves,” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Got it</span>
  <span>. So </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> and I will see </span>
  <span>ya</span>
  <span> tomorrow. Night!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Good night, </span>
  <span>Senpai</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See </span>
  <span>ya</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>I gave them a small wave before putting the key card into the slot and opening the door.</span> <span>Once I </span><span>went inside, </span><span>Revali</span><span> promptly followed suit with the clear intention of</span><span> making his weapon. Meanwhile, my goal was to </span><span>get myself very comfortable with that modest-looking bed.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Our cabin was something you'd expect to pay for when going to a hotel room on traveling cross-region, trying to be cheap. There were two regular twin beds with a wooden nightstand that had a simple lamp sitting on top. The rug was stiff kind that would usually be laid down in an office building. The walls were a light blue in an attempt to create some sort of theme, but the opportunity was ultimately wasted. The bathroom especially reflected the disappointment upon making a beeline for it. Everything from the tile, to the toilet was an off-white color. Now if I made a mess it would really be noticeable.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As my head limped down from the mediocre room setup, </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> came in with curiosity. This was his first time on a cruise liner (maybe even a boat), and he soaked in every detail the place could offer. Even the feeling of the ugly rug under his talons while walking across it. And when he noticed me sulking, he let out a pretentious scoff because I’m sure he’ll never pass up the chance to mock me.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What could possibly be bothering you now? People usually consider it an honor to have an audience with the greatest of all the </span>
  <span>Rito</span>
  <span> warriors,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You never stop talking about yourself, do you?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not everything is always about you, little girl,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I heavily rolled my eyes and turned to face him; my head lazily tilted to one side with a deadpan expression. “Yeah, okay. So </span>
  <span>Imma</span>
  <span> head to the bathroom and hit the hay. Unless you want to be sporting a black eye, don’t think about coming in,” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You actually think I’d reduce myself to such a scoundrel. That or it sounds like you want to invite trouble,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now my face heated up.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHAT?!” I screamed while hugging myself. “I’m not some creep! I-I-I-Just don’t come in!” I finished with a slamming of the door.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> was left once again to his own devices while May Maple bathed and groomed herself. He initially deemed her to be the prime example of how female humans acted. But now he had come to realize that she was the exception to the rule. From how much she cursed, to way her balance was slightly shaky on heels; this girl almost read as if she was intended to be anti-feminine. That’s not to say May Maple wasn’t completely adhering to </span>
  <span>unlady</span>
  <span>-like practices; old habits simply die hard. However, there seemed to be something else hiding underneath her guarded responses and heated demeanor. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh well.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The </span>
  <span>Rito</span>
  <span> warrior turned his thoughts to the bag of materials for his bow. All he had to do now was make his unmatched instrument of superb archery. So </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> casually strode over to the bag and began pulling everything out. He got out the knife that was taken from robber who had the unfortunate fate of crossing the group’s path. It wasn’t a good quality metal by any means, but anything at this point would have to do. He moved everything in the corner of the room where he could keep to himself, and used the knife to start tediously scraping against the wood. With a substitute carving knife, going extra slow was important; this was his only hunk of wood that was gotten from the market. Should he mess up, </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> would have to wait until they disembarked to go looking for another one. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he slowly peeled away the wood, the shavings that fell into the trash bin slowly built up until it threatened to overflow. By the time he whittled out both limbs and the riser, the door to the washroom swung open, and a big, black and gray wolf came scampering out. He froze instantly as this animal immediately came at him the moment his presence was noticed. But, instead of being met with threatening growls, it approached with curious sniffing and constant circling. At one point, it stopped at his talons, took a look at his face and then stole another glance at his talons once more. It seemed confused.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
  <em>
    <span>WHISTLE</span>
  </em>
  <span>*</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span>! Come here girl!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now make-up free and wearing something a lot more comfortable, I stepped out of the bathroom stretching with a content sigh. My wolf dog wagged her tail and trotted towards me. The lovable Pokémon brushed up against my legs while I walked to </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh...” I said while sitting cross-legged some feet away. “That actually looks pretty cool. And here I thought we’d have to make another crazy pit stop,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> meanwhile took the opportunity to lay her great body into my lap. Her fur right after a bath was always so soft and huggable. I obliged her presence by slowly scratching behind her ears; which made her drop her head to the floor. She was having a hard time staying awake.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> lightly tossed his head from the compliment and proudly displayed his work in progress. “Of course it is. This bow is </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite </span>
  </em>
  <span>difficult</span>
  <span> for average people to use. It takes immense skill and patience to handle such a weapon of magnitude; let alone making it. What you’re witnessing, is something very few will ever see,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh boy. I just HAD to roll my eyes for that. Speaking of those, they started to get heavy. Ugh, I need to roll them some more.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really can’t help taking praise to the next level, can you?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only when it counts. But you’re hardly one to talk, Miss Birdie-”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“DON’T YOU FUCKIN-”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I caught myself.</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>“*</span><em><span>Ahem</span></em><span>* I mean, that’s just...</span> <span>something different. Its way easier to be somebody else when you don’t look like yourself. You should’ve seen me two years ago when I was started </span><span>gettin</span><span>’ into that Contest Spectacular stuff-what's with that look?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>I stopped when </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> had an understandably expression of concern all over his features when he stared at me. Good </span>
  <span>arceus</span>
  <span>, I had to say something quick. I DID NOT want to explain ANYTHING.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey look, I’m just not used to a lot of people knowing that I have a secret side hobby. Not even my dad knows, okay? He still thinks I hate dresses and girly stuff,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Okay, real talk: That was very true. There’s only five people in existence (not counting </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>) who knew that I dressed up and participated in Contest Spectaculars. Only two of them had respected the hobby and didn’t use it as leverage against me. You should already be able to guess which two they were.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>And although it would be assumed by my nature, that being feminine was seen as stupid, it wasn’t the reason why I despised my own stage name. Also, yeah: I still didn’t change it, but Spectacular rules stated it was way too late for me to try now. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Good news though? </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> seemed to buy my explanation as he relaxed. Even made a jab at my expense.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Interesting... although, I could only imagine the poor fools who are unfortunately infatuated with your double life,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah... but it doesn’t hurt to get a vote </span>
  <span>outta</span>
  <span> them,” I replied with a mischievous smile. </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> closed her eyes and dozed off to sleep by this point. Another yawn came </span>
  <span>outta</span>
  <span> me, and keeping my head up was starting to get difficult. He seemed to notice my exhaustion.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps retiring for the evening wouldn’t be a terrible idea,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way...*yawn*...I </span>
  <span>wanna</span>
  <span> keep watching you make that thing...I can sleep when I’m dead,”</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>“</span><span>Hm</span><span>, as you wish. But even a </span><span>wah</span> <span>wah</span> <span>wah</span><span>, </span><span>wah</span><span>-ah. </span><span>Whaaaaa</span><span>...”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>I didn’t realize my crumbling attention drift off; even when my forehead laid on </span>
  <span>Mightyena’s</span>
  <span> back. Unbeknownst to me, my body slumped over the large wolf-dog in utter conflict against my wishes. My eyes had momentarily rolled in the back of my head as my eyelids slowly closed, and I confused the start of lucid dreams with reality.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hm. Hmmm...hey...what happened? Dang! Did I fall asleep?!</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon slowly forcing myself to open my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the comforting warmth of the blankets and mattress. Then the fur and body heat of my Pokémon, who had curled up in a ball. Don’t even remember how I managed to get myself here... unless...</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I sat up in bed to look at the digital clock on the nightstand. Seriously, why is three in the morning always the time I wake up to? </span>
  <span>Hm</span>
  <span>, the lights were still on; was </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> still awake? My gaze scanned the room until they spotted the </span>
  <span>Rito</span>
  <span> still in the corner. His head leaned against the wall, while his body huddled together in slumber.  In his clutches, was some kind of bow; hard to tell when I couldn’t see the finished product. The trash can meanwhile, had been accidentally knocked over to spill all those shavings on the floor. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite our iffy relationship, he’d been considerate enough to get me to the bed and put the blankets over me so I wouldn’t freeze. </span>
  <span>Tch</span>
  <span>, now I’m starting to feel guilty about being an ass. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>While I wanted to return the favor, I couldn’t see myself doing the same thing since I’d end up dragging him on the floor to get there. Instead, I started to clean up the shavings and other stuff he accumulated around him. Huh... his quiver is pretty cool. And he’s already got a bunch of arrows? </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Curiously, I pulled one out to examine it. The thing was pretty normal, until I saw the shaft. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of a metal point, there was this little pouch at the end of it. The wrapper was colored red and looked strangely familiar, and slightly heavy for some reason. When I pulled out another one, the same thing, only the pouch was blue. So the guy decided to make non-lethal arrows? On top of that, he made them colorful; I’ll give him some points for pacifism and creativity.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>After examining them for some time, I finally put his arrows back and got the blanket. Strange thing though, when I carefully draped it over him, my ears caught random words he mumbled in his sleep. It really didn’t make any sense, but when have dreams ever made any sense? Hell, there was one time I got chased by a pink, foil-wrapped chocolate bunny. I wonder what’s going on in his head?</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This place... Vah </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Medoh</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Revali</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> was suddenly taken aback by the realization of being on the back of his divine beast. Everything from the columns, to the great terminal didn’t look weathered down from the elements. From the biting winds, they must’ve been high in the air above the </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Rito</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> Village, but why? And how come there was this terrible feeling plaguing him? </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He looked every which way, but there was nobody around... as it seemed. But suddenly a rumbling under his talons forced him to glide back. In an instant, every glowing pattern burst into a deep red. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Revali</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> had hoped there was something odd with this whole situation; there’s no way he can be experiencing something that shouldn’t be alive anymore!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>However, a dark force without warning, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>bursted</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> out from the terminal. A blue light balled together and formed into a familiar, red-haired parasite that he knew much too well.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But there’s no way it could’ve been alive! That idiot swordsman he grew to respect had massacred the scourge of Vah </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Medoh</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>! This was a figment of his overworked, but amazing imagination!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Then the disgusting creature raised the cannon in place of its arm. </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Perhaps not.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Revali</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> quickly to the side as a ball of blue energy had been fired. It one of the columns and instantly decimated it. He got up quickly and readied his-”What?!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Instead of his most trusted bow, a small knife had been in his grasp. This was useless! </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The creature fired again, and </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Revali</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> preformed a narrowly timed somersault to avoid getting killed yet a second time. If he wanted it to stay that way, he needed to retreat for now. So, he threw the stupid knife</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>bent down and blasted himself into the air with no delay. </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Very soon, the spawn of Calamity </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Ganon</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> was spaced between him with much of the freezing sky. Excellent, now he can-”OOF!” What was that?!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A weight unexpectedly grabbed ahold of one of his talons; causing him to descend back to the beast. He fearfully looked down and saw someone that was thought to be the last thing on his mind. </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Yo</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Revali</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>! Stop fucking around and amuse me! I’m more important! I’m better being prettier than you! I never met this Link guy, and I still think he’s cooler than you! You’re just a washed-up Champion who got his ass handed to him! Die already!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>May Maple, who hung on his leg acted as a very heavy stone as she both literally and metaphorically brought him down. The creature was still there and readied his canon. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Revali</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> tried shaking her off, but she hung on with a vice-like grip.  And now the light from the blight’s canon glowed.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Get off me!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Never! You’re </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>gonna</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> be right where you belong; back in your fancy coffin!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH-” </span>
  </em>
  <span>*LICK*</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span>! Stop licking him!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh </span>
  <span>arceus</span>
  <span>, she was a handful. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I had gotten up after getting a little more sleep and dressed myself. I planned to wake up </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> when I finished, but my Pokémon beat me to the punch. With a wagging tail, the wolf-dog pattered up to the big, blue bird, and with her large tongue, licked all the way across his face. That instantly startled him awake just as </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> went in for another one. This was when I had to put my foot down.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come here, girl!  Stop </span>
  <span>messin</span>
  <span>’ with him! *</span>
  <em>
    <span>Whistle</span>
  </em>
  <span>* Come here!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her ears pricked up and she left his presence for mine. As for </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>, he unpleasantly wiped his face from the gross slobber my Pokémon graciously gave him. At least I didn’t have to think of some way to wake him up. With a half-hearted salute, I bid him a casual: “</span>
  <span>Mornin</span>
  <span>’. You ready for </span>
  <span>stuffin</span>
  <span>’ your face?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh... that beast felt like it was tasting me from all the slobber it drooled,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh That? It just means she likes you. She’s</span>
  <span> one of</span>
  <span> the friendlier ones I got. Although it's pretty lucky that you don’t wear shoes; </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> enjoys chewing on them. But We </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> meet Brendan and Wally soon, so make sure you do what you’ve </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> do,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Most certainly. I’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> to disappoint. Allow me a moment to wash the thick saliva from my face,” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> shakily got up and went over to the bathroom. Meanwhile, </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> rolled onto her back with her tongue hanging out rather playfully. OH boy... this girl is </span>
  <span>lookin</span>
  <span>’ for some BELLY RUBS. Well, being the provider of the ultimate bringer of rubbing bellies, how could anybody expect less? Better fulfill those expectations.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I knelt down and rubbed her belly </span>
  <span>til</span>
  <span> those legs kicked air in a frenzy. Her large body squirmed from the satisfaction. Me also being a total sucker for my battle partners, I started talking to her as if she was still a little pup. “Who’s a good girl? You are, you are! That’s a good baby! Who loves those belly rubs? You do! That’s right!” I gushed with a big smile on my face.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door to the bathroom creaked open, and I looked up just in time for </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> to step out with a less </span>
  <span>drooly-lookin</span>
  <span>' face. </span>
  <span>I was still wearing that huge grin, and he shook his head, but there was no smart remark that followed. He just picked up his bow and quiver before placing the weapon across back. My belly rubbing stopped; much to my </span>
  <span>Pokemon’s</span>
  <span> dismay.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you ready to go?” I asked getting up and clipping my pack around my waist.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but I have... another request, if you will?” he said looking unsure of how I would respond. Aw, how cute. Well, I shouldn’t be so much of a jerk all the time. I mean if the request is realistic.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah? Shoot,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It's been ‘some time’ since I... used a weapon. I understand you have an insatiable quest for acquiring money. Perhaps it would be in both of our best interests if... you allow me to participate in these ‘battles’,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I blinked several times to process what words just came out of his throat. He wanted to do what? Okay, he technically does understand the line of work I’m in </span>
  <em>
    <span>doesn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> involve death. </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> should know when to hold back. And if not-well, let’s not think about that. After all, the arrows he made look non-deadly. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh... yeah, I guess. But I think it would be safer if we did double battle; just so you can follow my </span>
  <span>Pokemon’s</span>
  <span> lead. Only because I don’t want anybody trying to accuse of anything crazy!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Hm</span>
  <span>, I thought we went over this,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, we did. But like you said; you’ve been out of practice. And when’s the last time you haven’t fought to kill? Not that I'm paying you any real compliments, but you could go all overkill. Besides, we get more money from double battles,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine,” he said with a frustrated look “But don’t expect me to be happy about it,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Deal!” I said while ushering him out the door. </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> followed behind us, and we headed upstairs to the deck. </span>
  
</p>
<p><span>The main area of the cruise liner was very spacious with trainers and travelers alike mingling with each other. The sun shone brightly with no cloud threatening to cover the bright, yellow orb. It hovered over areas like the buffet table, a place with games...</span> <span>and a place where trainers could battle. Alright! But first, we dine!</span></p>
<p>
  <span>I grabbed </span>
  <span>Revali’s</span>
  <span> wing and pulled him towards the line and got a plate. He did the same, but reluctantly stared at what was supposed to be the food. Ever since we started traveling together, we tried introducing our foods that were greatly different than what he was used to. Fish and bread were something he liked a lot. The soda and candy... really disagreed with him. He had puked his guts out for hours one time and accused us of giving him ‘sweet-tasting poison’. I wanted to knock his beak crooked back then for insulting our beloved snacks. Now I feel terrible about it. He did as best as he could to pick out what he thought would be appealing, while I shamelessly piled my plate high. And after we were satisfied, the two of us scouted the seating area until we zeroed in on the table with our familiar companions. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning!” I said while dropping my plate on the small, round table between Brendan and Wally. </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> did the same across from me and sat down. The two boys stopped eating for a moment just to acknowledge our existence before resuming. Aside from half-focused words of pleasantries, nothing else was said as we focused on stuffing our faces. I, most of all, had been cramming food down my throat like a tenacious </span>
  <span>wingull</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> was the only one taking his time, since he wanted to observe what kind of food was getting ready to enter his gullet for future preferences. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>When our party eventually finished, I jumped up from my seat in excitement to battle. I immediately went to stretch my muscles and breathed in deeply. They were good for clearing the mind and reduce stress. Now ONWARD!</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>I ran with </span><span>Mightyena</span><span> ahead to the battle area so I could see who we could </span><span>fight</span><span>. There were plenty of people too; and they looked just as eager as me.</span><span> There was a </span><span>person</span><span> in particular who stood out from the rest.</span> <span>He</span><span> dressed like </span><span>he </span><span>came straight out of an eighties sci-</span><span>fi. Seriously, the guy </span><span>having those futuristic</span><span>,</span><span> chrome tinted sunglasses on his head wasn’t doing him any favors.</span><span> I had to hold in a laugh when I realized he was wearing a long, blue trench coat </span><span>and whatever the he</span><span>l</span><span>l his black body suit was. </span><span>And wh</span><span>at was attached to </span><span>his left arm? That piece of equipment looked like a pain in the ass to walk around with. </span><span>How this guy went to use the bathroom was beyond me, but </span><span>let’s see how he battles.</span></p>
<p><span>I </span><span>moved closer to where our eyes </span><span>could just ‘happen' to meet, and locked gazes. </span><span>Gotcha</span><span>! “</span><span>AHA! </span><span>There’s no escape now!</span> <span>You can try all you want</span><span>, but </span><span>I’ll be the one to win this battle!”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>….”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>You need a </span>
  <span>minute to process it?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“….” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So yeah, I’m </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> battle you for money. You’re okay with that, right? I mean, you probably already know that</span>
  <span>…yeah… this is pretty </span>
  <span>awkward</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>Some girl with orange hair in</span><span> short</span><span> pig t</span><span>ails came running up to us looking pretty mad.</span> <span>Woah</span><span>, I saw this guy </span><span>first; </span><span>he’s mine!</span> <span>I got all defensive and </span><span>stood my ground.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think you</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>r</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> doing to my friend?!”</span>
  <span> she exclaimed while pointing a finger at me. OOOOH. That makes more sense now.</span>
  <span> I gestured to my Pokémon who </span>
  <span>was sniffing the strange guy’s shoes.</span>
  <span> “Well, I’m a trainer, and I’m </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> beat him for money. That simple</span>
  <span>… he’s a trainer</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> right?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl looked at me in </span>
  <span>an odd way because of my blunt answer. I do tend to be a little weird when it comes to the stuff </span>
  <span>I</span>
  <span> want.</span>
  
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well my friend</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Wes</span>
  <span> is a trainer too, but we’re</span>
  <span>-“</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>Suddenly, the guy put up his hand to stop her, and then gave a simple nod.</span><span> Her demeanor was </span><span>a little more relaxed.</span> <span>Oh sweet! </span><span>And just as he agreed with me, the rest of my party came to join us.</span><span> Brendan looking surprised on how quickly </span><span>I got into it.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“No fair! You just ran ahead of us!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys were super slow! Besides, </span>
  <span>there’s a whole bunch of trainers around here to battle; I’m just </span>
  <span>getting the edgy one first,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“ANYWAY, </span>
  <span>I’m </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> be doing a double battle with </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span>… and </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>Both Brendan and Wally</span><span> instantly turned to look at the </span><span>Rito</span><span> with surprised faces. He couldn’t say anything back at the moment, but stepped forward.</span> <span>His bow already held in his right, feathery hand.</span> <span>The trainer Wes guy held out a </span><span>pokeball</span><span>, while his friend stood </span><span>back for space. My friends looked at me reluctantly, but did the same. Time for battle.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Go </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span>! </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saying his</span>
  <span> name correctly </span>
  <span>seemed to pump him up as he entered </span>
  <span>inside the white-outlined rectangle</span>
  <span> with my dark-type. </span>
  <span>Meanwhile, </span>
  <span>the trainer </span>
  <span>enlarged </span>
  <span>his two </span>
  <span>pokeballs</span>
  <span> and sent out an </span>
  <span>umbreon</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>espeon</span>
  <span>. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Big mistake for that guy! Dark-types are super effective against </span>
  <span>espers</span>
  <span>! Immediately, I went on the offensive. “</span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span>, use your assurance on that </span>
  <span>espeon</span>
  <span>!” I shouted. My battle partner sent out a sudden wave of dark aura to inflict upon the Pokémon; the feeling of the attack reverberated against the purple feline like a ragdoll and made it flinch. While that happened, </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> took the opportunity to launch himself high in the air and set his sights on the </span>
  <span>umbreon</span>
  <span>. I couldn’t see all what was going on up there because not wanting to be blinded by the sun, but it looked like he was readying his bow. In an instant, an arrow flew down towards the enemy and hi-*</span>
  <b>
    <span>KA-BOOM</span>
  </b>
  <span>!*</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, the battling zone of the deck erupted in a sparking, fiery blue explosion that nearly blew us away. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! HOW DID HE-… I CAN’T BELIEVE I COULD’VE KILLED MYSELF LAST NIGHT!</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had suddenly clicked in my head when the smoke began to clear, that I was actually messing around with little EXPLOSIVE ARROWS instead of something that was thought to be seemingly half harmful. GOOD FUCKING ARCEUS! I AM</span>
  <em>
    <span> SO</span>
  </em>
  <span> GLAD I DIDN’T PLAY AROUND WITH THEM LIKE I WANTED TO! OH SHIT! I’LL KILL THE BASTARD! HE’S SO DEAD-</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Woah</span>
  <span>! Did you see what that Ravioli did?! That’s so badass!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EH?</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh man, that Pokémon is so cool!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I did a quick one-eighty to see several bystanders watching in awe of the massive attack. Very unaware of how this non-Pokémon, who was new to this kind of battling, operated the assault on his opponent. Many of them took pictures or held up their phones to record. Well I can’t outright murder him in front of the public. Let’s just hope he doesn’t miss and hit someone... or me. Anyway, back to the battle, the </span>
  <span>umbreon</span>
  <span> narrowly dodged the hit and waited until </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>  touched back on the ground. The </span>
  <span>espeon</span>
  <span> recovered from </span>
  <span>Mightyena’s</span>
  <span> attack, but took its focus off her to shift it on the </span>
  <span>Rito</span>
  <span>. In an instant, several glowing stars manifested out of thin air, to be thrown full force at </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>. Of course, he saw this coming and attempted to side-step, but was unaware that the move ‘swift’ had always been a notorious attack that never missed. What happened as a consequence, were dozens of stars curving to strike ferociously at his side until he lost his footing and fell.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now vulnerable, the </span>
  <span>umbreon</span>
  <span> took advantage and ran towards him with its maw opened wide. Aiming to bite him into submission. What actually happened was </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> appearing from the smoke to do the deed instead. Her powerful jaws tightly locking down on the animal’s small body. What’s more is that an icy chill came from her teeth; causing a lot more damage. She then shook her foe from side-to-side like she would with her favorite shoe. This allowed enough of a distraction and time for </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> to get back up and fit another arrow in his bow. He aimed at the </span>
  <span>espeon</span>
  <span>, who was readying another round of unavoidable stars. Before it could attack, he loosened his arrow, and it speedily hit the unfortunate </span>
  <span>esper</span>
  <span>-type in a now intense, sparking red explosion. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I tumbled from the force, which made me hit the back of my head against the deck. That made me see tweeting </span>
  <span>pidgeys</span>
  <span> for a good minute. But when I recovered, I jumped back to my feet (though not without the unfortunate reaction of stumbling) and scanned the battlefield to see the results.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>When everything started to get clearer, the only two who were left upright, were my own Pokémon and a smug-</span>
  <span>lookin</span>
  <span>' </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>. The two had a wild look of messed up fur and feathers while being covered in the soot from the explosives. Their opponent’s </span>
  <span>espeon</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>umbreon</span>
  <span> on the other hand, had fallen to an (hopefully) unconscious heap. Their trainer looked mildly surprised at their defeat, but made no effort to act like a sore loser. He instead wordlessly withdrew them and slightly shook his head as he opened his wallet. AL-RIIIIIGHT! </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I ran past the victors; patting </span>
  <span>Mightyena</span>
  <span> on the head and ‘playfully’ punching </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> on the arm while doing so. Okay well, I did punch him as hard as I could considering what he indirectly did to me. Anyway, I quickly came upon the loser to receive my reward.  </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, nice </span>
  <span>doin</span>
  <span>’ business with </span>
  <span>ya</span>
  <span>,” I said while nearly tearing the money away from his hand the second he took it out from his wallet. His companion shot me a look at my lack of courtesy, but didn’t say anything. However, before I walked away to find some other sucker, I stopped. Being more up close and personal to this guy made me realize something. I turned around with a newfound realization.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Aren’t you from </span>
  <span>Orre</span>
  <span>?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>*Nods*</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“NO WAY! Don’t you guys have no actual Pokémon in that region?! What’s that like? Dam! I don’t know why I didn’t see that sooner!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shrugged non-</span>
  <span>chalantly</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I turned to look at Brendan and Wally. “Hey guys! These people are from </span>
  <span>Orre</span>
  <span>!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Woah</span>
  <span> seriously?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s amazing!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>You see, in all the regions, popular or not, there’s always some kind of populace thriving. The </span>
  <span>Orre</span>
  <span> region however, was an exception to this rule. To date, there have been no records of Pokémon successfully thriving in any part of the region. No matter how many people tried to introduce a species to the land, it always ended in failure. Hence why it was also lacks having the traditional gyms and league. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently, Professor Birch was fascinated by the whole phenomenon. He expressed an incredible desire to travel there to find out why.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Brendan, Wally and I were about the crowd the guy before he was pulled close by his companion. She seemed pretty protective of him. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey look. Wes isn’t really the talkative type. We’re just here for the battling. No offense to you guys, but we’d like to keep doing that,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>We were pretty disappointed. It's not every day you meet someone from a </span>
  <span>Pokémonless</span>
  <span> nation. Maybe I should guilt them into giving us some of their time.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span> “Okay, I guess. I mean, if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> a re-match, I’ve got some really mean Pokémon in my party. They can wipe the floor using anyone,” I replied with a faked sad tone. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both the girl and Wes perked up. Oh boy, I must’ve said something they liked. I revealed my </span>
  <span>pokebelt</span>
  <span> to showcase the other five balls locked onto it. “They’re really strong too, and haven’t gotten a lot of time outside. Fighting other people is nice, but it would be a waste if we made the effort to look for someone else,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>They looked like they mulled over it for a moment. “Well...” the girl finally said with a sigh. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see what else you have,” Wes seemed to be interested too, because he got out his second pair of </span>
  <span>pokeballs</span>
  <span> to try sizing up what I chose. Good, now that I got their attention, I can freely bother them with questions! Let’s go!</span>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
  <span> <br/></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So,</span>
  <span> Wes and I battled for a very long time. We switched up Pokémon a lot. Though with that said, I begrudgingly let </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> fight too despite the revelation of carrying actual bomb arrows. You know what? I never got to check how many fireworks he gutted to make those. I’m sure he completely desecrated our sacred stash! </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>But anyway, we eventually got tired and said our goodbyes to rest. Wes’ friend, Rui seemed a lot more at ease. Personally, I thought she was weird for near creepily staring at all my Pokémon throughout the battles. Maybe she was some sort of enthusiast? I didn’t know, and maybe it might’ve better not to. That aside, her friend was on another level. Well, his battling could use a little more form and strategy, but he was pretty decent. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>After their departure, I jumped up to literally butt heads with </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span>. He had no right, but for some reason had the gall to get pissed off. “Hey asshole! A little warning next time before you steal our fireworks and almost KILL us with them!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh please! Spare me the chiding! With the amount you bought, I wouldn’t need to kill you!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck are you saying?!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m saying that-… you know what? I don’t want to,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHAT?! You’re not allowed to do that! You’re supposed to insult me, and then I </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> storm off in a huff with Brendan reminding me to play nice or some shit like that!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh-”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH! FINE! Just forget it!” I said as I threw my hands up in defeat. How dare he break the cycle of discourse! And I hate him for making me guilty about it! HATE!</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My face was red, but </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> just let out an airy chuckle and patted my head. I puffed out my cheeks. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun was setting now, and the four of us got tired. Even with the angry flare up, I still wanted to bunk with the stupid Rito. Brendan looked like he wanted to laugh at the decision, since he knew I was becoming weak with kindness, but refrained from doing so. I can only speculate that he did so to savor the victory that his words were ultimately heeded. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back in the cabin, I showered and let out </span>
  <span>Dustox</span>
  <span>. The big moth was admittingly more attracted to the light than my affections, but it had been a while since I let her out to stretch her limbs and wings; she deserved that much.  </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> didn’t enjoy much of her presence since large insects made him uncomfortable. I thought this was weird, but then again, I guess there are more boring living things where he’s from. Speaking of that, I never got to ask him. This might be my last chance.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Revali...”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stopped filling his quiver to look at me.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I never really asked because... well I might as well ‘flip the bird’ at you... no pun intended... FUCK! Forget it!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> cocked his head to the side as his interest was piqued.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm, practically no words to inquire about how I manage such finesse and grace in battle. Your loss,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good </span>
  <span>arceus</span>
  <span>, you are so full of yourself,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I am full of only the best of myself,”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Okay, I did get a chuckle out of that. He smirked at my reaction to resume packing his quiver. In the end, I couldn’t ask what I wanted; even though this might’ve been the chance of a lifetime. Maybe it was a good thing; </span>
  <span>curiosity</span>
  <span> slaughtered the </span>
  <span>skitty</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>What did end up happening was that I crawled into bed while </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> finished up some things. Very soon, I fell into an anxious slumber.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. SIX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hi everyone! Yes I'm still alive and kicking. I've just been doing alot of things like trying to move and keep myself sane. Anywho, thank you for all of your patience and enjoy this chapter!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>You ever get the feeling that you’re not wanted somewhere? I tend to get that a lot when I specifically aim to throw a wrench in a bad guy’s plans. They absolutely loathed it when I popped up like a weed in some hard-to-pull spot and wrecked their day. But when it's not someone who needed to be stopped like a </span>
  <span>Saturday</span>
  <span> morning cartoon villain, it was when (Which I swear to arceus was rare) I royally fucked up and unintentionally rained destruction on someone’s hard work or accidentally broke something expensive. Then there were the awkward moments; like where my friends and I are </span>
  <span>in </span>
  <span>right now. </span>
  
</p><p><span>Our party woke up like usual, got in the </span><span>buffet</span><span> line and sat down to eat. </span><span>However, what’s different, were the hateful glances we were attracting.</span><span> Beating up that one thug aside, I have no idea </span><span>what we did. Wally, </span><span>had been trying to figure it out since he tended to </span><span>‘</span><span>read </span><span>the room’ better.</span> <span>Meanwhile, I shoveled down </span><span>bacon.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Gardevoir and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>think </span>
  </em>
  <span>we understand what’s going on,” he said with a quick glance behind him. His first Pokémon, gardevoir took a chair from a nearby table and seated herself super close to him. Her motherly nature was something she refused to shed, after the kindness he displayed, that brought them together. “It might have something to do with Revali,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The Rito himself looked up from his meal; he had a smug expression on his features. Chirpie, who was next to him, shook his head before nudging my cheek for food. I fed him a piece of bacon.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously, they're envious of my talent and driven to obtain a creature that can only dream of matching my level of skills,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno. It doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>sound</span>
  </em>
  <span> like a case of jealousy,” said Brendan as he rubbed the back of Kippie’s head fin. The large swampert’s head laid on her human partner’s lap with content. My friend tried as best as he could to be strict, but the water/ ground-type's eyes was something he just couldn’t say no to.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever it is</span>
  <span>…” I said while trying to fit more food in my mouth at the same time.</span>
  <span> “…As long as nobody tries mugging us, we’ll be straight. </span>
  <span>But anyway, </span>
  <span>let’s finish up so we can get a couple of battles in. </span>
  <span>The ship’s gonna be docking for Mossdeep in an hour,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Yes,</span>
  <span> and then I’ll be on my way</span>
  <span> to meet the princess,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I paused with an open jaw for a second before </span>
  <span>putting down the strip of bacon. That’s right: </span>
  <span>He’s gonna go back to that Hyrule country, and everything </span>
  <span>will go back to normal.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>But why do I feel bad about that?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, wait. You know a princess where you’re from?”</span>
  <span> Brendan asked with interest. </span>
  <span>Revali let out another one of those pretentious scoffs like he’d been insulted.</span>
  <span> However, that was accompanied by a puff of his chest.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Not only do I know </span>
  <span>one</span>
  <span>, but she had traveled </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>the way to </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>proud and mighty Rito Village</span>
  <span> just to handpick </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>as her appointed champion. </span>
  <span>It’s a gesture that only few</span>
  <span> have the esteemed pleasure of burdening,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“… So, what does a champion do?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Brendan, Revali and I turned heads to Wally as he </span>
  <span>drank his orange juice. You know, I never thought to ask about that. </span>
  <span>Both Brendan and I then looked back to the Rito bird</span>
  <span> for an answer. His entire demeanor changed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well… a champion protects the people. Additionally, we shouldered the responsibility of also aiding the princess in fighting- “</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His beak snapped shut abruptly as he stopped himself.</span>
  <span> Considering how much he enjoyed bragging about his job, it was weird seeing Revali be at a loss for words. </span>
  <span>And when he finally found his voice</span>
  <span>, the response felt super uneasy.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“… It's difficult to explain! I mean, I could go on all day, but who knows how much any of you will get out of it! Let’s just say is a rather important job,”</span>
  
</p><p><span>An explanation like that was </span><span>for certain, </span><span>not bought by the three of us.</span> <span>A five-year-old could tell he was lying through his beak.</span><span> Our Pokémon </span><span>even knew he’s not being slick.</span> <span>But to press on the matter would probably cause unnecessary agitation</span><span> amongst the group, so we murmured in agreement; although not </span><span>convincingly. </span><span>Brendan, being the worst liar outta all of us </span><span>added:</span></p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! We’re uh… </span>
  <span>we don’t know a thing about how guards and royalty work! </span>
  <span>You know, us being young adults and all!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Right… </span>
  <span>so I think I’m done shoving food down my throat like </span>
  <span>a wingull now. I hope all of you nerds are ready to </span>
  <span>THROW. SOME</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> HA</span>
  <span>AAAA</span>
  <span>NDS</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>” I quickly re-directed </span>
  <span>with quickly standing up from my chair.</span>
  <span> “Team Maple is takin’ NO prisoners today!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Wally seemed to catch what I was doing, chugged down the rest of his juice, and stood up as well. Gardevoir didn’t appear to like the fact he imitated my behavior. Regardless, she elegantly rose up with her partner. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Senpai, but The </span>
  <span>Walnut Brigade are the ones who’ll </span>
  <span>be winning!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And finally, Brendan </span>
  <span>had coaxed </span>
  <span>Kippie</span>
  <span> into getting her head off his lap before </span>
  <span>hav</span>
  <span>ing his say in the matter. </span>
  
</p><p><span>“</span><span>I THINK you two are forgetting about the Birch squad!</span> <span>Someone</span><span> else has to be the losers!”</span></p><p>
  <span>Chirpie and Revali were the only ones still sitting down; observing the three of us get antsy for battle. My Blaziken let out something that was a mix between a squawk and a sigh before using his elbow to nudge his fellow bird into standing. Revali looked a little annoyed, but he stood up too. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Children shouldn’t get this excited for battle,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“After what you took part in yesterday, I can’t believe you aren’t!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He responded with a shake of his head as if we were crazy. I knew he was feeling pretty down from that odd exchange, but stretching his wings and kicking butt is something that’ll do him some good. A warm-up always cheered me up. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay boys! Let’s quit foolin’ around here and go start some fights!” I exclaimed before running around the table and aimed for the battling zone. Brendan and Wally ran after me to catch up. Completely leaving all of our Pokémon in the dust.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Revali chose to walk after the three instead of uselessly expending his energy; and it seemed like he wasn’t alone in the decision. Their Pokémon counterparts all went the same pace with the same thoughts in mind. To be honest though, Revali felt like he was being boxed in and observed by the three. More especially by the one with the flowing, elegant form. It kept taking long, piercing glances his way like it was supposed to be an interrogation. He expected that from the wingless, bird who had the audacity to be an inch taller than him. Their previous encounter had been when he first found himself in that lab. Now it was a little too lax for his liking. Maybe it was a ruse to catch him off guard. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Just to be clear...” Revali said turning his head to the firebird. “... I’m not going to be an easy competitor just because you can’t fly. I understand you make up the lack of flight with your unique fighting abilities. I caught only a small semblance of it back then, but naturally we’ll have to face each other in battle so we can find out who’s the better of the two. Be warned however, I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>exceptionally</span>
  </em>
  <span> skilled,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>May Maple’s Pokémon said nothing in reply to Revali’s declaration.  It just looked at him with a confused blink before turning his head again. Ugh, it reminded him too much of Link. But when he narrowed his eyes, the one that was watching his every move let out a soft coo. He merely waved it off.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax. I’m not some barbaric animal. I do have civility,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“*Coo*,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re worried about the well-being of your comrade; don’t be. I’ll make sure your precious </span>
  <span>Chirpie</span>
  <span> is still in one piece. Although, I won’t be responsible-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <span>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH</span>
  </b>
  <span>!!!!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What the?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>All three Pokémon were alert now, and ran ahead towards the source. Revali of course, followed them with no effort until he saw his party members standing in front of a vaguely familiar sight.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“WHY IS THE BATTLING ZONE </span>
  <b>
    <span>CLOSED</span>
  </b>
  <span>?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I was in reasonable distress when my friends and I came upon the designated battling area, only to find a sign that saying it was closed for repairs. There were workers and Pokémon alike ripping up the charred, splintered hardwood flooring.  It had been warped and broken up so bad, the white lines used to indicate the positions in the field were unrecognizable. The devices used to conjure up damage-reducing barriers were broken themselves.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“There they are!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Woah, hello.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A bunch of trainers suddenly confronted us with hostility. They cut us off from Revali and our first-in-command party members. Brendan stepped forward to try diffusing the situation.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, fellow trainers! What’s...going on?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what’s ‘going on’! It’s your fault the battling zone is closed!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You and your stupid friends hogged it forever yesterday and messed up the battlefield! How are we supposed to train our Pokémon now?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Which one of you assholes called us stupid?! I’ll kick your ass all the way to Kanto!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Senpai, please no!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! It's that girl with the Ravioli! She's the one who let it bombard the battlefield! Make her pay!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Oh boy. Looks like this’ll be the second time I get off a ship ahead of schedule. At least I’m gonna be closer to Mossdeep this time around. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So as the group of angry trainers began closing in, the three of us stepped back. Our Pokémon and Revali crouched in attacking position, but I had other plans.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Brendan, can you give us a lift to Mossdeep?” I asked while motioning my thumb towards the water. He suddenly realized what I was thinking, and pulled the sixth </span>
  <span>Pokéball</span>
  <span> from his belt. “Yeah, get the others ready to jump,” he replied as we got closer to the railing. Meanwhile, Wally caught the jist of our conversation, took off his sweater, and tied it around his waist. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When our backs hit the railing, I let out a quick whistle with another jerk of my thumb for Chirpie to comprehend. He caught the signal and let out a squawk to let the others know. Revali, well he was aiming a bomb arrow at the group of trainers; something that Chirpie stopped with a rough nudge of his elbow.  I couldn’t exactly make out what the Rito bird was saying because of the angry voices in front of us, but my firebird simply shook his head in disregard.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay! GO KYOGRE!” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Brendan turned around to the water with the </span>
  <span>Pokéball</span>
  <span>, and allowed it to open up. A large, bright blue light shot into the ocean. The light grew enormous and took shape of a giant, deep blue leviathan. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“JUMP!” shouted Brendan as he used an arm to hoist himself up and over the railing. Wally chose to carefully climb up and jump. I straight up vaulted over the railing and landed face-first into the water. </span>
  <span>The freezing morning sea </span>
  <span>instantly riddled me with goosebumps.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When I recovered from the disgraceful dive, </span>
  <span>I caught Wally and Brendan swimming towards the small island made </span>
  <span>of the sea </span>
  <span>titan's</span>
  <span> head.</span>
  <span> Being this close to it, used to terrify me. You know, the feeling of an insignificant </span>
  <span>speck against something so enormous. It would freak anybody out.</span>
  <span> I had to make myself get used to its presence </span>
  <span>like Groudon.</span>
  <span> Although, the way its large, orange gaze weighing down on my existence still weirded me out. Only Brendan understands what’s going on inside its head.</span>
  <span> Speaking of:</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s my baby! </span>
  <span>Did you miss daddy?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>My bestie was the first to reach the gigantic whale creature; climbing up</span>
  <span> top</span>
  <span> and laying down </span>
  <span>to give it a hug.</span>
  <span> Good arceus, </span>
  <span>THAT is not a baby; its literally older than any person on the planet</span>
  <span>!</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>*</span>
  <b>
    <span>RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA</span>
  </b>
  <b>
    <span>*</span>
  </b>
  <span>!!!!”</span>
  
</p><p><span>The giant </span><span>whale </span><span>let out this loud roar that </span><span>made the sea and everybody in it shake</span><span>. </span><span>It made my body reverberate like </span><span>an unlucky tuning fork. </span><span>Being in the ocean and all, </span><span>I almost lost my </span><span>concentration of s</span><span>wimming</span><span>, and struggled to keep myself balanced.</span> <span>It was a good thing kyorge wasn’t an e</span><span>spe</span><span>r-type or could read my thoughts, because I had some choice words I was tempted to say out </span><span>loud while making my way </span><span>to</span><span> the thing.</span></p><p>
  <span>By the time I floundered towards the beast, </span>
  <span>hauled myself on the top and made it, my legs were </span>
  <span>already feeling sore. Why does swimming tire me out so much? Brendan and Wally don’t look as tired as I do!</span>
  <span> What’s even worse, was seconds after when Chirpie</span>
  <span> suddenly touched down next to us, followed by </span>
  <span>gardevoir</span>
  <span> elegantly floating down and Revali</span>
  <span> landing with ease. </span>
  <span>Bunch of show-offs. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And Kippie? She dove in like us, but made her way to the group </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> easier than any human could manage.</span>
  <span> Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be sour about the </span>
  <span>over-powered animals easily doing impossible feats </span>
  <span>that </span>
  <span>they were trained to do. </span>
  <span>Plus, it'd be a better idea to funnel energy into ditching the angry trainers still on the </span>
  <span>cruise liner</span>
  <span> instead</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright Kyogre! To Mossdeep City!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  <span> Brendan ordered with a dramatic point of his finger. </span>
  <span>Instantly, the sea Titan’s </span>
  <span>large form began to lurch forward; </span>
  <span>swiftly</span>
  <span> outgaining the </span>
  <span>Cruise liner.</span>
  <span> The trainers we left in the dust </span>
  <span>could only stare back and watch angrily as I taunted them with our getaway.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hah! Sayonara losers!”</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Senpai! That’s not very nice!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, neither is blaming us for </span>
  <span>doing what trainers do, but that didn’t stop them from taking the low road</span>
  <span>. Besides, Revali did half of that stuff,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, little girl!</span>
  <span> I understood that it was permitted to do what I wanted, short of</span>
  <span> eliminating the target! Don’t </span>
  <span>try acting like I intentionally destroyed a supposedly</span>
  <span> durable battlefield!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Revali’s beak was already in my face to defend himself. </span>
  <span>He was more annoyed than</span>
  <span> anything about laying the blame; which led me to making a </span>
  <span>slight scoff</span>
  <span> and a sly look.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Who knows? Maybe you </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>us to think that so you could show off.</span>
  <span> Especially after Chirpie </span>
  <span>started stealing your thunder</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>My Pokémon let out a confused squawk.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Revali did a quick glance back, and then narrowed his </span>
  <span>gaze on my face again like he’d been insulted.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice try. But I’m a little smarter than some child </span>
  <span>to be baited </span>
  <span>into admitting something untrue,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh. Sure you are,” I teased while waving him off to join Brendan, who had now sat near the edge of kyogre’s head. I joined him with a prompt plop to his side, while he stared out ahead. He was enjoying the salty-smelling ocean breeze blowing against his face; as did I. Maybe it was because I grew up in Olivine, that made me enamored like him. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t turn his head, but the acknowledgement was more than enough. For some reason, he was cooler-looking when doing that kind of thing. Hm, why</span>
  <span> I</span>
  <span> do care about something like that? Well, it's better than having a piercing gaze on you that felt like a dam ton. Or one that held obvious hints of a sinister plot.  Even if he did look at me, it would always be the same: Comforting and warm. Like Wally’s, but... more. More to what? I couldn’t figure that out.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, if our parents found out half the stuff we’d get ourselves into, they’d ground us til we died,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Oh! Crap, he said something! Just agree!</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, totally,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, even as an adult, my mom still guilts me into doing those field day house cleanings. Seriously. She tells me it's good for my character, and not rely on Pokémon for stuff people can do themselves. It's not like I don’t know how to do that,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I used to think you had no idea what I was talking about, but I’m glad I’m wrong,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, now I’m getting the jist of it. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A hand that was clutching my propped-up knee made its way down to feel the blubbery surface of </span>
  <span>kyogre.</span>
  <span> It was smooth and soft, but I knew if I actually tried pounding against the strange flesh, my fist would bounce back to hit my face. Well, I realized that the hard way.  The Pokémon deemed my physical retaliation to be of little consequence. But as I made little circles with my finger, the feeling of Brendan’s hand suddenly held against mine. What the fuck?! I instantly looked up to see his interested face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Kyogre likes it more if you make the circles wider in this spot,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“OH! I... didn’t know it could feel it,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, it feels everything that we’re doing. Even when we just sit here and breathe. That’s pretty cool, huh?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Makes me remember about-...well a lot,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I was about to take a trip down memory lane, when I got knocked the hell out by gangsters of trauma alley. Well, I guess I resolved that issue, but the memories made me flinch all the same. He seemed to understand my reaction, because he simply nodded and then abruptly changed the subject.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“So Revali’s warming up to you pretty well. You think he really serves a princess?”</span>
  
</p><p><span>I snorted at the idea. Usually people who served royalty for combat purposes didn’t even get so much as a glimpse of them unless they were war generals or personal knights. I brushed up on the history of </span><span>Galar</span><span>’s</span><span> and Kalos'</span><span> try at feudalism. The way Revali blathered on about the ‘Great Hyrule Castle’ and whatever made me think, Galar</span><span> and Kalos</span> <span>were</span><span> the closest thing to his world. Not a lot about royalty having that much freedom outside their castles. Which led me to the conclusion: Who ever heard of an archer getting handpicked by a princess? I was skeptical.</span></p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s lying. He talked about castles and then started yammering about giant machines called ‘divine beasts’. Castles in Galar </span>
  <span>and </span>
  <span>Kalos </span>
  <span>are </span>
  <span>thousands</span>
  <span> of years old. That bird is either insane or a complete liar. What if he’s a mutated farfetch'd?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he did come from a feather that was brought back from another world. There’s got to be some truth to that,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“But if it was true: Why would people like him still dress so old? Those things don’t have great track records of having a lot of defensive integrity. Not to mention half of that stuff must be a pain in the ass to wash or store,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right.... BUT that doesn’t explain why he know a lot about what our </span>
  <span>Pokénav</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> do. He wasn’t surprised that I could take pictures and pull out my map with it. Called it a ‘strange </span>
  <span>Sheikah</span>
  <span> Slate’,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That did give me some pause. He didn’t seem to be really surprised when I pulled out my own device. Well, Revali snatched it outta my hands to look at it. He studied it</span>
  <span>s</span>
  <span> appearance with mild interest before casually tossing it my way; something that pissed me off.   </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, if he is really from a weird place like that, then maybe</span>
  <span>… well, I don’t know.</span>
  <span> Probably get a wardrobe change first, and then work on </span>
  <span>making a gun or something,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“A gun?! Those things are so slow!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Slower than a bow and arrow?</span>
  <span>!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, you got me. But it would be weird seeing him </span>
  <span>pull out a gun. What would that even look like?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll </span>
  <span>tell you: BIG, AWESOME WITH COOL EXPLOSIONS!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <span>just described a bazooka,”</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>“*snort</span>
  <span>* Alright, alright, alright. But it would be </span>
  <span>cool, right?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“*</span>
  <span>Phhft</span>
  <span>* </span>
  <span>Yeah!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The both of us had a good laugh about it. Not realizing our Pokémon</span>
  <span>, Wally and Revali could clearly hear us</span>
  <span>; and </span>
  <span>the </span>
  <span>instance </span>
  <span>both of our hands </span>
  <span>interlocked our fingers together.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So our party eventually reached Mossdeep City and made sure to avoid docking at the port where the cruise liner was. Instead, we found our point for disembarking among the mangrove trees. Brendan had been the last to get off Kyogre to put an affectionate pat on its snout. There was this strange whine in return, followed by the blast of water jettisoning in the air. Some of that water thankfully only misted all over us. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Brendan, who was the closest, got wet the most, but didn’t seem to mind. He even looked like he enjoyed it. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After the short exchange, he withdrew the sea titan into its ball and re-joined us. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay guys...” I said to the group. “First, we go to Steven’s house, and then back to the lab so Revali can get back. Any side stops before that?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, perhaps a merchant to acquire this ‘bazooka’ that was mentioned earlier,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Brendan and I suddenly became surprised as we realized that he heard what we said. Our faces then turned bright red in the face Revali’s surprisingly smug expression; Wally didn’t seem to be phased by the statement either! HUH?! Why are our Pokémon giving us a look?! Meanwhile, the Rito bird came very close to us. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Something the matter? Or has the nerve to mock me been lost?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“WHAT?! I WASN’T-… OKAY MAYBE-…  ALRIGHT FINE! SUE ME!” I exploded defensively. Brendan could only bury his face in his hands. Fortunately for us (or me), </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> looked more amused than angry. He actually laughed off our humiliation and patted my head AGAIN. I smacked away and crossed my arms frustratingly. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, the way you talk about me constantly, with no sense of subtlety, </span>
  <span>makes me think that you hold a deep sense of admiration</span>
  <span>. To make an impression in such a short time… well I’m quite pleased with myself</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>“he said putting a hand underneath his beak rather playfully.</span>
  
</p><p><span>“NOT EVEN CLOSE! Come on, Brendan! And quit fuckin' staring, WALLY!” </span><span>I demanded as I </span><span>took Brendan’s arm in a rough fashion. </span><span>He didn’t have a choice if </span><span>he wanted to continue</span><span> staying</span><span> upright.</span> <span>He stumbled a little before being able to </span><span>keep my pace.</span><span> Wally stifled a laugh and </span><span>Chirpie shook his head.</span><span> Revali watched </span><span>us </span><span>move a little farther before starting up with his hands placed behind his back in a formal fashion. </span></p><p><span>All of walked through the city and made our way to the </span><span>small, cozy homes near the cliffs.</span> <span>We made small stops along the way and bought snacks. </span><span>One of my favorites was the </span><span>richly flavored senbei. </span><span>Its gotta be just soy sauce and seaweed though; any other flavor puts me off. </span><span>Brendan </span><span>happily bit into a summer staple: G</span><span>ohei </span><span>mochi. </span><span>Wally had picked up </span><span>daifuku wrapped in oak leaves. </span><span>For some reason, Revali had to prove to us how much of a weird dumbass he had to be by </span><span>getting an ice cream cone. </span><span>The six of us watched him try figure out how to start consuming the thing</span><span>; and he was noticing.</span><span> I think for him, the worst part was all the staring he was getting. </span><span>The </span><span>ube flavor he got started to run.</span><span> I poked out my tongue and pointed to it.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Just </span>
  <span>lick it! Stop looking at it like its rocket science!”</span>
  
</p><p><span>“What???” he had to whisper as someone walked by.</span> <span>I </span><span>rolled my eyes. </span><span>“It's</span><span> just frozen moo </span><span>moo</span><span> milk mixed with </span><span>ube! Use your tongue to </span><span>lap up that shit!” I hissed back.</span><span> He didn’t </span><span>look</span><span> pleased by the revelation.</span></p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to eat this like some wild animal</span>
  <span>! You take it!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I gave him a look of disbelief. Isn’t he a giant, fucking bird?!</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Listen here-</span>
  <b>
    <span>GOOD ARCEUS</span>
  </b>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p><span>Suddenly, a little</span><span>,</span> <span>clear spoon was thrusted into</span><span> both</span><span> our faces</span><span>; but holding it was neither Brendan, Wally or any of our Pokémon. Instead it was the smiling, spitting image… of me.</span><span> Once I recovered from the surprise, I frowned even harder.</span><span> Revali and Wally reasonably had no idea what was going on.</span> <span>Brendan was shocked. </span></p><p>
  <span>Okay, so on my journey to become the champion in </span>
  <span>Hoenn</span>
  <span>, I ran into Team Magma on occasion. One time involved a Pokémon intentionally seeking a trainer for help. That Pokémon was latias. An esper/dragon-type that, along with her sibling, could shape-shift into whatever she wanted. For some reason it enjoyed turning into a more disgustingly cute version of me. You’d think it would turn into something easily more attractive, unless she does it deliberately for the evil purpose of tarnishing my hardcore reputation. </span>
  
</p><p><span>“Oh </span><span>it's</span><span> you. </span><span>How’d</span> <span>you </span><span>know I was here?”</span></p><p><span>She shrugged her shoulders with a </span><span>puzzled look. Oh, so she happened to be in the neighborhood</span><span>. Hang on, does that mean she came here to see Steven?</span><span> That’s good news for us</span><span>, </span><span>because she knows for sure he’s here. </span><span>As a Pokémon </span><span>whose</span> <span>type can sense people (familiar ones more so), </span><span>it’ll be perfect! So</span><span>,</span><span> I thought.</span></p><p>
  <span>“So</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> Steven’s at his house, right?</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“*nods*</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, so let’s not waste any more time foolin' around.</span>
  <span> Oh, and by the way: Guys, latias. l</span>
  <span>atias, </span>
  <span>guys</span>
  <span>,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… yeah I kinda know…”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Wally and I </span>
  <span>raised our eyebrows. He'd met her before? </span>
  <span>Well… that would make sense since the region ain’t big like</span>
  <span> Kanto or Unova. But it still bothered me knowing how much </span>
  <span>Latias</span>
  <span> explored around with my face on as her mask.</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>Speaking of which, the Pokémon finally took notice of Brendan and </span>
  <span>looked extra excited. Something that bothered me a lot for some reason.</span>
  <span> She gave a wave and pointed to her head; asking for a pat. </span>
  <span>OH. I’ll give her a head pat </span>
  <span>alright!</span>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>But just as my fist was about to raise over the top of her skull, Wally </span>
  <span>quickly interfered.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t we be going now, senpai? I mean, </span>
  <span>we’ve had enough time to recover from the trip,”</span>
  
</p><p><span>“Hm? Oh yeah</span><span>,” I </span><span>replied. Settling with snatching the spoon from latias and </span><span>handing it to Revali.</span> <span>He took the thing </span><span>with hesitation after </span><span>witnessing</span><span> the rude display</span><span>. </span><span>The Pokémon </span><span>let out a small pout of protest and </span><span>went over to Brendan</span><span> for comfort. </span><span>He said a small ‘hello’ with some space between them, and handed her a pink Pok</span><span>éb</span><span>lock</span><span>. Wait a minute…</span></p><p>
  <span>“Hey-OOF!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You heard him. </span>
  <span>We’ve</span>
  <span> distracted ourselves </span>
  <span>long </span>
  <span>enough,” </span>
  <span>said Revali as he purposely pushed me forward</span>
  <span> to move.</span>
  
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>

</p><p>
  <span>So, we all went to Steven’s house without any more shenanigans. That being said, my eyes bore into the sight of Brendan and Latias a little too deep into his one-sided conversation. She made a constant expression like she’d been giggling while he talked about... something. The worst part about the interaction was her attempts to cling to his arm as they walked. </span>
  <span>He edged</span>
  <span> himself away whenever she tried, but returned to continue talking.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you believe that, Chirpie? Look at them! The nerve or her stealing my best friend! It's like she’s my evil twin!” I complained as I </span>
  <span>defensively embraced</span>
  <span> his side for comfort. As I did that though, I realized I was hugging leather armor instead of feathers. The epiphany startled me back. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Revali, who was actually beside me, didn’t react as dramatically as I did.  He just kept on walking like nothing happened.  It was only then that I noticed Chirpie was in the back with Wally. Trying to eat the rest of the senbei I bought. Sneaky firebird. “The way you talk about it makes me think he’s not your best friend,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>My neck should’ve snapped from whipping it to the side so fast. “What?! Of course he is! He’s the only person I’ve beaten who actually came back to me! Nobody does that! He's also the reason why I don’t think boys are the lowest scumbags in existence!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“And there was that time he went through an ENTIRE region just to find ME! Wally didn’t know, so he’s cool, but Brendan just hopped on a plane and just started looking for me! Seriously, I wouldn’t know some of the stuff I know if he wasn’t around! If that’s not what a best friend does, then I don’t know!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well... I can only say that you’re right,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s right! Don’t forget it!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I felt quite proud of myself; proving what to make of Brendan and I’s relationship as friends. While we we’re on the subject:</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“So, do you have any friends waiting for you besides a princess?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>At the question, Revali’s eyes briefly opened wide; as if the idea of having someone else caring about him was a surprise. But he cleared his throat and regained composure like it was nothing. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s one, but I doubt he’ll be waiting up for me,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How come?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s rather complicated,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? Did he piss you off?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he did that on any given day. Just chalk it up to being an ‘unexpected surprise’,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I knew exactly what he meant by that. It wasn’t a shock to me or anybody in this group how he got here in the first place. What I </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to know was the events that made this situation. Ever since we got on the cruise liner, I didn’t have the nerve to ask him. Maybe it's better to let some things go. People don’t need to know </span>
  <em>
    <span>every</span>
  </em>
  <span> minute detail about everything!  Sides, who knows what kind of button I’ll press; the last thing we need is chaos.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Not the most eloquent answer, but I thought it would be better than just nodding along. Boy though, did that sound awkward. Usually Brendan handled these types of conversations with more </span>
  <em>
    <span>finesse</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Am I even using that word right? Gotta be a huge ‘</span>
  <b>
    <span>NO</span>
  </b>
  <span>’.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever, at least nothing else noteworthy happened like someone ambushing us from the shadows to fight us. Not that we couldn’t beat the ever-loving shit outta some pipsqueak for money, it was more of not wanting to inconvenienced by challengers. My eyes constantly darted side-to-side every step we took while everyone else seemed to be at ease. It wasn’t until those busy streets of Mossdeep transformed into grassy plains that held those infamous seaside homes. They were quieter than the ones in Lilycove and could’ve presented the same charm as Littleroot, had the small town relocated to an island. There, Latias was the (one-hundred percent temporary) one in our group to knock against the most ordinary presenting house of them all. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The door squeaked open, and a familiar face appeared in the doorway with a cup of tea in hand. He noticed the shape-shifting Pokémon first, then me... and then Revali. His happy expression dropped in point zero seconds flat. He looked like he was caught in the act of wrong-doing with that face. I reacted swiftly by pushing aside the useless doppelganger to explain. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on, it's not what it looks like; honest! He came to us and we made it work out! Sides, could anyone really take May Maple hostage?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“*</span>
  <em>
    <span>NODS</span>
  </em>
  <span>*”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut the fuck up!” I hissed with a sharp elbow jab to latias’ side and a grab of </span>
  <span>Revali’s</span>
  <span> beak. Of course, she ‘teared up’ and grabbed ahold of Steven to console her. Being the kind of guy he was, fell for the act and patted her head like she was a victim of a transgression. </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> smacked away my hand and stepped forward to diffuse the odd situation further. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Please allow me to redeem the nature of our previous encounter. As I can understand now, I was apparently the product of some scientific experiment. As much as I would like to mingle with this odd world of wonder, I’m afraid I cannot shirk my previous duties any longer; therefore, I must return from whence I came. Please note that in the face of these witnesses, I haven’t eliminated anyone and/or set upon their corpse like a savage,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>We all stood at the doorway in a heavy pause. I could tell the wheels in his head turned while he simultaneously comforted a distressed Pokémon. Time seemed to almost stop in the unsavory anticipation of his response, until a sigh of disbelief passed his lips; right before they were met with the teacup he still had in his other hand. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly. I let latias go out for some fun, and she brings home excitement that’s nearly too much for me to handle. But I digress: Please come inside; there are things we must do today… apparently,” he said while pulling back to make a way for us. ALRIGHT! Nobody fainting, or calling the police; good sign!</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As our party poured in, I noticed someone else had taken up residence in the living room. He was reading the newspaper, cross-legged on the couch wearing a serious gaze. Someone who looked exactly like Brendan. Instantly I lit up.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“LATIOS!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Faster than anyone could blink, my arms were outstretched in anticipation for an embrace; in which had been suddenly blocked by Brendan. Hey!</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The face in which Latios used to imitate Brendan twisted into an annoyed expression, while the paper in his hands instantly crumpled. Did they know each other? I guess it can only make sense since Latios and </span>
  <span>latias</span>
  <span> were inseparable. Meanwhile, Steven squeezed through and cleared his throat like it had been done with elegance. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Latios and </span>
  <span>latias</span>
  <span> tend to show up on my doorstep from time-to-time. I assured them both there wouldn’t be any unfriendly parties here. Speaking of which: I do need to talk with May and Brendan about departing to the lab,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Latias looked disappointed in mid attempt of trying to hang all over Brendan. Latios looked relieved as a silent puff of air breathed from his mouth. Both of us ignored each other’s Pokémon's reactions and followed Steven into the kitchen. Leaving Wally, Revali and our battle partners in the living room. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“So...,” Wally started off as he sat down at the across the couch from Latios. “The way Senpai and Brendan care about you two... are you their Pokémon?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Both of them nodded in unison as Revali joined Wally. Latias sat with her sibling with huge eyes staring taking in the sight of the Rito and the human child across from them. With everything that had been going on as of late, Revali was starting to get used to be constantly monitored, but the way she stared at him with long takes before blinking was unappealing. It had been akin to having a machine stare at him. Yes, even with those scout guardians in Vah </span>
  <span>Medoh</span>
  <span> being a common sight, he never got used to their presence. Their single eye bore into him like a drill whenever he visited before the calamity. They skittered about constantly like their larger counterparts. Fortunately, she turned her head and grabbed her sibling’s hand with a gentle squeeze. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, he responded by putting down the crumpled paper to observe Revali. He didn’t look as interested as she, but did a quick scan of the champion’s body. His response to the strange bird was a slight shrug. Latias didn’t like that answer and squeezed his hand harder. Her face turning once more into a pout. This time, Latios put down the paper so he could give her a hard glare. However, he finally stood up and reluctantly went over towards the other pair. The Pokémon (who were watching the whole interaction) looked at the situation with interest. They didn’t feel the need to, or want to intervene. Having to deal with their children partners was enough already.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So, it came as no surprise when Latios wasn’t stopped from approaching Revali, looking him square in the eye and slowly raised a hand to touch him. Of course, the Champion watched him warily, while Wally looked upon the two with some anxiety. He chose to carefully lay a hand on his shoulder that resulted in... some awkwardness.  Revali, nor Wally understood any of it, until sudden random memories felt pulled to the forefront of his mind; flashing miles a minute in his sight. Different parts of his life flooded out like a river, that wrought so many sets of emotions at the same time. He was startled by the unnatural event, and slapped Latios’ hand away. He pulled back from seconds after and held his hand out like there was something on it. Both of them felt estranged from the encounter.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just...-whatever it was, DON’T do that again! I prefer my privacy,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what happened?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Both Revali and Latios looked at Wally. The latter casually stretching out his hand to touch the boy’s shoulder. But before he could do that, his hand was slapped away again by the Rito. He recoiled with a look at his now adversary. Revali let out a scoff.  “The whole world doesn’t need to know my business! Keep your hands to yourself!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the harsh response, Latios just silently sneered at Revali and returned to the couch. Latias looking very eager to know what happened, pulled her counterpart back </span>
  <span>down</span>
  <span>; ignoring Revali’s disdain for his recently violated privacy. Wally now felt uncomfortable about the whole thing and tried to move onto an actual subject.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Revali. Do you need more supplies for the journey back?” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really. It wouldn’t be difficult to find more if I run out. The land is still plentiful despite the Calamity,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Calamity?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Revali stopped as he realized how much he revealed in a single sentence. Immediately, his gaze ran back to Latios and </span>
  <span>Latias</span>
  <span>, who were shamelessly sharing the new information between them via hand touch. Latias was making all these strange expressions with her face. Fortunately, with the way their personalities worked, he didn’t feel offended enough to spill his frustrations on the real versions of May Maple and Brendan Birch. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It's nothing. My head is still spinning from whatever that esper did,”</span>
  
</p><p><span>“Oh! Sorry. I don’t think he meant to be mean like that. Many esper-types communicate in strange ways. My Pokémon, Gardevoir, is an empath. We communicate a lot with our feelings. Some use visuals to help get their point across. </span><span>Please</span><span> don’t get mad; they</span><span> were</span> <span>just</span><span> curious,”</span></p><p>
  <span>“Hm, a little warning would be nice, next time,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right! So, what’s the </span>
  <span>calam</span>
  <span>-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey guys!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone in the small living room stared back at </span>
  <span>us</span>
  <span> like something went wrong</span>
  <span>, </span>
  <span>as </span>
  <span>Steven, Brendan and I re-joined the group. </span>
  <span>It made me slightly hesitant to ask, so </span>
  <span>I didn’t mention the odd atmosphere.</span>
  <span> Fortunately, </span>
  <span>the former champion took initiative and stepped forward</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p><span>“</span><span>I apologize for the delay</span><span>. May and Brendan explained the situation to me properly. </span><span>As much as I would like to impose many curious questions upon you, I do agree that </span><span>your rightful</span><span> return</span> <span>would be the </span><span>bes</span><span>t thing to do.</span><span> Unfortunately, </span><span>Latios and </span><span>latias</span><span>, you both cannot come. </span><span>I’m afraid the </span><span>advances in human technology might lead to your unwanted discoveries. A risk none of us would like to take.</span> <span>Now, are you prepared for your journey home, Revali?”</span></p><p>
  <span>The Rito bird stood up almost eagerly at the notion; not that I could blame him, and came towards us. The posture </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> kept up made him seem like he was royalty himself. That or he had a thing about not slouching. Hell, his hands being so fancily balled-up behind him easily made him more civilized-lookin' than Brendan, Wally and I! </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“After being decommissioned for so long, I daresay I’m more than ready to return to my post. Please lead the way, Mr. Stone,” he replied with a lot enthusiasm in his voice. Meanwhile, Wally got up and for some reason stole a glance at </span>
  <span>Latios</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>latias</span>
  <span>. They stared back with strange expressions; </span>
  <span>one's</span>
  <span> people make when they pity some poor sap who’s gone through some shit. What was that all about?</span>
  
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>We left the two legendary sibling Pokémon behind as our group went to the Space Museum. And in order to fit on a single elevator ride, we put our Pokémon back in their balls. It was kind of interesting walking through </span>
  <span>Mossdeep’s</span>
  <span> enormous Museum with </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> for one reason: REACTIONS. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The Rito looked taken back by the enormous machines and objects on display. He was certainly tempted to break away for a moment to gaze longer at what caught his fancy. However, he turned his head back sharply and remained focused on his objective. If I were him, I’d be already at the food court section and demanding whatever I could shove down my throat.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Visitors and staff alike looked at the giant, navy blue bird with amazement. Mostly because of his upright posture in comparison to ours. Some staff members from the Lab even came across us. Wow, even when they weren’t at their desks, they looked so focused. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>One of them who pushed up their glasses pretty vigorously, was actually that scientist who </span>
  <span>kinda helped</span>
  <span> kick-started </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> back in existence! The pessimistic, frustrated guy!  Well, he has no choice now, but to give us at least a pat on the back for getting </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> back! Maybe even treat us to some free food. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Yo</span>
  <span>!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He looked annoyed at the sight of us, and reluctantly stopped.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“*Sighs* It's you. I’d say it’s a relief to see you bringing back the subject, but I fear your reputation only puts me on edge,”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>WHAT?! How dare he?!</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmph! You’re acting pretty high and mighty for someone who’s ass is on the line for ILLE-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“STOP. Please just... I have a headache already. Meet me in the lab, and we’ll proceed from there. I need a break... some of us work for a living...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He put a hand up to stop my retort as he resumed walking, but with a more hurried pace. A few of the staff with him also followed; though they were chummier in nature and attempted to make jabs at the expense of his personality. Yeesh, he was mundane in his lightest mood and a dick at his heaviest.  Here’s to hoping we don’t have to deal with him after this... which was sending </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> back home. For some reason I didn’t like the sound of that. I started to feel repulsed by the thought.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  Despite this, we all went through security with... not too many scruples, crammed together in the elevator like we were playing </span>
  <span>tetris</span>
  <span> and rode up towards the home stretch. During the lift, the repulsive feeling morphed into something stronger... it was... it's almost sad. I really shouldn’t be feeling anything since he’s been here for less than a month. I can’t even ask because I’m sure the response wouldn’t be mutual. Hell, Revali might even laugh at me for it! </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I looked at Brendan and Wally’s faces, and their expressions were unreadable. Ugh, my weak Contest Spectacular persona, Birdie-Chan must be making me all emotional!</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Hey, what’s that sound?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>*Ding* </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The elevator chimed as the lift came to a stop, slowly opened its doors and allowed heavy plumes of smoke to enter the small space. All five of us who had no clue, unexpectedly sucked in a large amount and sputtered to expel the dangerous inhalation. Meanwhile, a blaring alarm rang in our ears.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>I jumped out first while waving one arm around to try dispelling the smoke. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Above my head, water rained down from the fire sprinklers to douse any flames that might’ve been eating away at anything. A huge gust of wind coming from the elevator to blew away the smoke and revealed chaos. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The giant super computer had a heavy crack across the monitor with the controls having a melting hole of metal in the middle of the panel. The work desks that held many of the lab samples and projects were broken and smoldering from the dying flames. Throughout the encounter, the room was red while a terrible siren rang in our ears. Thankfully, the only good thing about this situation, was the staff in the room who were alive with minor injuries. They did the right thing helping minimize the damage by getting extinguishers to douse any stray fires. Some even used their lab coats to smother the smaller flames. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Stone!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>One of the scientists who saw Steven in our party as they got out, ran to him. The water drenching him, did nothing to compliment his scrawny frame, balding head and exhausted</span>
  <span> face. He looked like a poor </span>
  <span>poochyena</span>
  <span> caught out in the rain; just begging to be let in.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Professor Nebula... what happened here?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, someone here deliberately sabotaged us! Small bombs were planted to ruin our space exploration samples, and the dimensional-shifter was stolen! Even the samples from that project were destroyed!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>HUH?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That's really terrible; and yet...</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Steven now wore a serious expression on his face as he tried to think of something to say, but he couldn’t utter a word out. However, he managed to look at </span>
  <span>Revali</span>
  <span> in the eye; making it clear to him that he wouldn’t be going home anytime soon.</span>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone! Yeah this chapter is short, but I decided for the sake of the tone, that I wouldn't try to just shift the mood after writing all of it and cheapen the moment. I dunno, but let me know your thoughts! As always, I have a tumblr account with the same name, so put em' there! Always and forever, thanks for reading!</p><p>https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/misofirebird</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Back in Steven’s home, we all sat in the living room with the feelings of discouragement. After witnessing what happened at the lab, none of us were sure what to do. Worst of all, I glanced at Revali, who’s face wore an obvious mask of stoicism. While he didn’t allow himself to be freely expressive as us, there was no way he wasn’t feeling worse than us. I mean, wouldn’t you in his shoes? Just then, the front door opened, and Steven came back inside.<br/>“I apologize being gone for so long,” He said; very unsure of how to start. “I… had to give a lengthy statement to the police. Although, doing a thorough investigation will be an uphill battle since the scene has water and fire damage,”<br/>Every word coming out of his mouth depressed us even more. Latios and latias, who were also there, weren’t sure how to react. All they could manage were soft head pats and Brendan and I. Latias was even considerate enough to give one to Wally. But the two shape-shifting Pokémon didn’t go near Revali. I wasn’t sure why, but they didn’t look mad or scared. Maybe they know how out of place he is? <br/>“… I’m really sorry. It’s all my fault,”<br/>“May? What are talking about?”<br/>I quickly stood up and took a deep breath.<br/>“I mean… none of this would’ve happened if I didn’t want to bring you back to life! Good arceus! You were probably happy being dead!”<br/>Now everybody was staring at me with surprised looks. Yeah, it was a big mistake. And because of it, Revali’s gonna be trapped here forever. While, I harbored feelings of resentment at the notion of him leaving, I know what it’s like to be marooned somewhere so foreign to you.<br/>“You know what was going through my mind when we did it? I was like: 'Man, I wonder if we can get to bring back from that place! It would be so fun’- “<br/>Suddenly, a feathered hand covered my mouth to stop it from talking. I didn’t have to guess that Revali was the one to wordlessly stand up to silence me. What I didn’t expect, was the lack of anger on his face. My friends now sat up uncomfortably, but allowed the situation to unfold. <br/>“It doesn’t matter what you thought then; it’s what you’re going to do now. With what I’ve seen here, this is only a minor setback to an overall favorable situation,”<br/>Now I was confused. He must’ve seen it on my face because he clarified further by saying:<br/>“Whoever sabotaged the lab and stole the dimensional shifter must’ve known how important it could be. Aside from the lab here in the city, where else had it been used?’ <br/>I couldn’t answer, but the way he asked it, made it seem like the question was rhetorical. However, that didn’t stop Brendan from standing up immediately to answer.<br/>“Rustboro! It wasn’t used there, but that’s where the samples were taken! Good arceus! Why didn’t I think of it before?!”<br/>A huge smile was on his face as he was clicking things together. “You remember, May! Shelly and Tabitha?! Remember they used to work for Devon Corp.?! We got like two suspects already! Maybe one of those teams aren’t squeaky clean as they say they are and have spies!”<br/>A ray of hope peeked through as I had to admire Brendan’s critical thinking skills. Seriously, who knows how long I’d figure that out if he wasn’t in my life; if I figured it out at all. I pulled down Revali’s hand with a big grin. “Brendan, you’re a genius!” I exclaimed with renewed determination. We were gonna get that big bird home if it killed us!... Okay, maybe it won’t come to that, but it wasn’t gonna be some walk in the park. At that moment Wally stood up. For some reason, he didn’t seem as happy as we were.<br/>“That’s great, it really is. But um... I can’t come with you,”<br/>“<strong>WHAT</strong>?! Why not?! Team Aqua and Team Magma are child’s play compared to us!”<br/>“It’s not that, Senpai... I um... have to go out of the region soon,”<br/>Brendan and I stared at him with piqued interest. Wally’s stayed in the same place his whole life, and now he’s gonna travel out of the blue? Granted, his fear of change kept him locked here, but the timing sucked.<br/>“Wow. That’s a big change. When did you decide that?”<br/>“Well, I met people here, and they put in a good word for me about doing frontier battling. I uh, got the message last night about getting accepted. I’m going to a place called ‘Poni island’? It’s a really odd name. But, that’s why I can’t go with you two... I hope that’s okay...”<br/>Wally’s shyness overtook him as his shoulders slumped from letting us down. However, it couldn't have been further from the truth. Brendan and I got to do our own thing, why couldn’t he? Sides, the other bonus would be not dealing with jirachi when the little hell spawn woke back up. So, I walked over to him and put a hand on him.<br/>“Hey, chin up. Nobody’s mad at you, m’kay? Weren’t we talkin’ about traveling someplace else, anyway? You'll just be going ahead of us; no big deal,”<br/>“Yeah! Just take lots of pictures when you can. It’d be pretty cool to see all the stuff you find. May and I can take care of Revali,”<br/>Wally’s eyes watered as his frown rose up to a smile. Shortly before suddenly bawling his eyes out and constricting me in a hug. Good arceus, I forgot how vice-like his grips were!<br/>“Th-THANK YOU SO MUCH! I-I-I'LL MAKE SURE TO LET YOU BOTH KNOW I’M OKAAAAAAAY!”<br/>“Arceus Wally, you don’t have to-Wally, you’re squeezing me! WALLY-”<br/>I had to peel the kid off me in the end, and he eventually settled down. As for Steven, we promised him we would try to get to the bottom of the theft as he dealt with helping repair the Space lab.  No doubt that stuck-up scientist was furious about the debacle, and I didn’t want to be around for any lecture. Brendan, who always preferred to be confrontational rather than avoid a situation, whole-heartedly agreed with me. Latios and latias would stay with Steven for a little while longer since they had nothing to do with the predicament. As they should since they guard a sacred island. Meanwhile Revali took the time to re-stock his quiver/ gutting our firework stash. Something I wasn’t a fan of, but bestowed an allowance upon; lest he go behind our backs and take however much he wanted. The party rested for the night and set off the next morning. Making sure to be more discreet this time when we took the cruise liner for Lilycove City. Thank arceus nobody from the last liner was onboard... that we know of. We freely explored around the ship, and kept under the radar up on the deck for battles. Our Rito bird friend tried to keep the explosive bomb arrows to a minimum. We did this until the sun began to set, so we decided to retire for the evening.<br/>“So, same sleeping buddies like last time?” Brendan asked as he held up a keycard. <br/>“Yeah. Let’s just actually arrive at the port; instead of, you know, getting run off of the ship,” I responded while holding up mine.<br/>“Aren’t you and Revali the reason why that happened?”<br/>“They can’t pin on me what’s supposed to be the cruise liner’s fault! Their barrier system and battlefield sucked!”<br/>“Riiiiiiiight. Welp, goodnight you two!”<br/>“Goodnight Brendan... Wally,” I grumbled before opening the door to and let myself in before my tall, bird companion. He just strolled in while ignoring our childish behavior. <br/>Inside a cabin once more, and making sure I set my muddy, swamp shoes by the corner, I gravitated towards the bathroom for a shower. I quickly, but vigorously scrubbed every inch of my body until it was deemed squeaky clean. I would’ve liked to take the time to soak afterwards, but I was getting pretty tired. Sleeping in hot water is a great way to drown or get a heat stroke. Wouldn’t look really pretty if I had to be dragged out and given medical attention.<br/>Upon getting out of the bathroom, I saw Revali sitting on the bed with his unstrung bow on his lap. He looked down at it, but seemed like his mind was elsewhere. I was unsure about asking him if he’s alright. Usually going that route was basic human concern, but the responses were not always genuine. Meaning, I'd just be paying awkward lip service to a rehearsed conversation. Instead, I made myself know with:<br/>“Hey. Just finished up if you wanna-“ <br/>“There’s something I'd like to share with you,”<br/>I was a little taken back with Revali cutting me off; especially with him responding to me without bragging or being sarcastic. This sounded like your parents starting off a serious talk about the family pet dying, or moving. Personally, I wasn’t sure if he was in the right mind to talk about any of this with me. Maybe Wally would be a better fit.<br/>“Look man, you don’t have to. I mean, I’ve been a jerk about it back then, but don’t feel like you have to spill your guts out. I’m not... really good enough… for that…”<br/>He raised an eyebrow.<br/>“For what?”<br/>“… that,”<br/>“Oh... so anyway-”<br/>“HEY. Didn’t you hear me?!”<br/>At this, Revali let out a scoff, as he couldn’t ignore my protest. Now he looked annoyed, but seemed like he bit back any insult that might’ve just instantly rolled off his tongue. He put aside his bow and patted the side next to him. I was kinda wary at the offer since I just frustrated him, but nevertheless heeded his wishes. Although the second I sat my butt on the bed, he proceeded to flick my forehead. It stung like all hell, and I instantly out my hands over the affected area. Okay, now he’s pushin’ it!<br/>“OW! What the hell was that for?!”<br/>“You know what, little girl! I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who I pitied and get irritated at, at the same time! Give yourself some credit for a decent personality!”<br/>“... You think I’m decent?”<br/>At this, Revali looked at me like I was crazy; then let out a sigh as if the point wasn’t obvious.<br/>“You have to be doing something right if you have friends; let alone ones who respect you. You’re very fortunate,”<br/>I wanted to smile from hearing a praise that didn’t have any sarcasm in it, but hearing how sad the Rito sounded as his voice quieted down near the end made my face freeze. Maybe I should hear what he has to say.<br/>“... Did something happen to your friends?”<br/>“Yes... it was quite some time ago. I thought I could get past it, but feeling this... being alive again... it has its disadvantages,”<br/>His hands balled up into fists and he pressed them down into his lap. He turned his head almost in shame while staring blankly at the wall. I wasn’t sure on what to say to cheer him up. Maybe he didn’t need that. Nobody can’t get over something as traumatic as he was hinting at; you can only get through it.<br/>“But... you still have someone to go back to. The princess, right? And your other friend? They must be pretty kicka-I mean good people if you like them that much,”<br/>Revali let out an airy chuckle at my question. But it didn’t sound genuine at all.<br/>“Truth be told, I’m afraid. I know what to do and how to do it and how they’ll respond, but it’s also knowing what I did that keeps me terrified. I cannot look at them with the knowledge of my mistake,”<br/>Hearing him confess something so sad tugged on my own heart. I felt like that once, and I had nearly been completely manipulated to think that confronting it wasn’t necessary. It seemed like it had been ages ago, but it actually was a year prior. Ironically enough, I managed to forgive my manipulator without beating a hole in his still admittingly beautiful face.<br/>I put a hand on his arm.<br/>“Whatever it was... I’m sure they miss you more. I mean, you miss them too, right?”<br/>“Without any doubt,”<br/>“Then you shouldn’t worry about any falling out. Friends aren’t friends if you can’t be open with them. You should tell them that when you see them again,”<br/>“If I see them again,”<br/>“You <strong>will</strong> see them again. I promise,”</p><hr/><p><br/>We spent the night talking a little easier. When the dank atmosphere cleared, I worked up the nerve to ask Revali what his village was like. The question more than perked him up, and he proceeded to brag highly about more bird people like him, who were plenty skilled, but not as much as he was. Apparently, they lived in a very cold part of the continent called the ‘Hebra region’. Just thinking about the cold made my arms break out in goosebumps. I told him how weird it was that birds would willingly live in the cold, despite the ones here that fly south for the winter like clockwork. This made him brag even more about their resilience to the chilly climate, which in turned annoyed me. Still, I continued to hear his talks of archery contests, incorporating their own feathers into their craft and having their home double an advantageous stronghold. <br/>“Rito cannot propel themselves into the air and fly, but the region is rife with updrafts. It helps them gain momentum in the air and glide flawlessly for as long as they wish. Very useful for battle,”<br/>“But wait, I saw you fly a bunch of times. And last I checked, there was no updraft or nothing!”<br/>There was a twinkle in his eye as I said this, and he raised his beak up with a slight scoff as if I was naïve.<br/>“It’s like I said: I’m much more skilled.  You see, at a young age, I knew if I wanted to improve myself, I’d have to think outside the box and push my limits. It was then, that I found a way to create powerful updrafts to lift myself into the air. A move I like to call: Revali’s Gale!”<br/>Okay, I should feel bad for doing it, but how could I hold back a laugh after him saying something so hilarious? And with the added effect of spreading out his wings to do it?! I had busted out cracking up so much, that my head leaned onto his side. It was no surprise for the result of him abruptly pushing my head off so I’d fall back on the bed. However, I had been only knocked down to a fit of giggling.<br/>“What’s so amusing about it, May Maple?!”<br/>“Sorry, sorry! The way you just put your arms up while you said it! That was a dam goldmine!”<br/>“HMPH! For a flightless human, you’re taking much joy in mocking my achievement of self-flight,”<br/>“Okay three things: You’re too dramatic, a ton of flying-type Pokémon would like to have a word with you and I’ve been to SPACE. After that, flying in the air isn’t much of an accomplishment anymore,”<br/>I laid out on the bed while explaining these things to him, but stopped when I noticed a puzzled look on his face.<br/>“Yo, what’s up?”<br/>“What’s ‘Space’?”<br/>“Alright, I know you’re not that dumb,”<br/>“I’m serious,”<br/>“OH. Well... it’s where the stars and planets are. Up,” I replied while sticking my arm up and pointing a finger towards the ceiling,”<br/>I said it pretty non-chalantly, but Revali’s response was nothing short of astounded... maybe a little jealous.<br/>“What’s that like?”<br/>“Awesome,”<br/>Now, I could’ve been more descriptive with my answer, but that really was the first word to pop inside my head. To look back down on the Earth with the backdrop of countless celestial bodies was nothing short of something that truly put your life into perspective. Its dark void dotted with the lights of faraway entities made the Earth shine as magnificently a jewel catching the light. Combine that with complete silence, and the desire to stay mesmerized forever wasn’t a far-fetched idea. Come to think of it, it was the only time I went all the way up there. Maybe when this was all over, I could go again.<br/>Meanwhile, just lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling intensified my sleepiness. I didn’t realize that my eyelids were closing on me, until I felt the heat of the morning sunlight on my face through the porthole. They slowly re-opened as I huddled the blankets closer to my body. Good arceus, that was so fast.<br/>Sloppily, my head turned to see Revali fast asleep on the other bed. He had a simple sheet over him with his legs sticking out. Chirpie had to do the same thing because his talons would shred the thin linen easily. Paying for damages was a hard lesson to learn when owning Pokémon. Uuuuuuuuugh, I am so tired. <br/>Still, I clawed myself out from the comfortable clutches of the blankets to wake up Revali. Though he did mind when I slightly jostled him with a:<br/>“Hey... hey... hey Revali. Wake up,”<br/>He opened one weary eye in irritation, closed it and turned away with a grumble. I was gonna do it again, but a second later, he slowly sat his body up and scratched his back. His feathers were all ruffled from moving around in bed; especially the ones on his head. Not that I could talk smack out loud, because he would have a great retort about my hair looking even crazier. <br/>“... How late is it?”<br/>“I dunno. I just got up,”<br/>“Hmph...”<br/>He sounded doubly annoyed by my answer, but got himself up to the bathroom. Thankfully, he didn’t take forever like I would, and soon emerged well-groomed and much more energetic. I practically dragged myself in, took longer and still came out only looking just fixed up. The baggy eyes didn’t improve very much. <br/>We left the room and met up with Wally and Brendan soon after. Our last breakfast together wasn’t eventful; it had been quiet with small talk. Don’t get me wrong, Wally leaving is something HUGE. He’d be traveling to a whole new place for his own adventure. He’d even have to form a new social circle if he wanted to make it out there. Of course, we were more than alright with that since we did the same thing, but don’t think for one second that the thought of him introducing us to his friends wouldn’t be weird. Maybe it had been on his mind too; hence probably why he insisted for us not to make a big deal out of it. <br/>An hour later, our ship made it to the lively port of Lilycove City. I forgot that Revali hadn’t stepped foot here before, so when our ship made it to the docks, the Rito looked like he was getting dizzy from watching all the activity. It was more so when we got off and formed a ‘buddy hand-holding train’ through the crowds. Pushing past people and their Pokémon was a struggle, and no matter how many times we came, we nearly get lost trying to find the way out. You could imagine the relief when we got into the city. Well, it was pretty busy too, but we weren’t swimming against people to get anywhere. This is where our party found an empty bench. A good place to say goodbye.<br/>“Well... here we are...” Brendan started as he sat down. I followed suit, but did so with more reluctance. Wally himself stood there and faced us. He looked almost unsure about joining in while nervously playing with his fingers.<br/>“Y-y-eah...” he managed to spit out while briefly glancing at something else. There was this awkward silence that followed. Like the three of us suddenly couldn’t think of anything to bring up.<br/>Now, he was pretty clearly having second thoughts, but if he didn’t set himself on going now, it would set a bad precedent on branching out. Yeah, he was a really great trainer, but not allowing himself to get the experience and confidence he needed would definitely stunt his growth. I was unsure of what to say as words of encouragement out of fear of screwing it up. There was only one thing I could do that felt right.<br/>A tad anxious myself, I rose to my feet again, and gave Wally an ursaring-like hug. <br/>For several minutes, I stood there with my arms wrapped around each side of him like I was gonna constrict it. It felt like I was his mom setting him out into the world with well-meaning hesitation. Wally himself stood there without so much as a twitch.<br/>After the things we’d done together, I almost wanted to say ‘screw it’ and talk him out of leaving. However, I can’t go back on what I said for his own good. <br/>“Wally… I want to see you again… take good care of yourself,”<br/>“I will…”<br/>He sounded like he wanted to add more, but cut himself off. Instead, he wrenched himself from my grip with watery eyes. Geez, can't he go one day without turning on the waterworks?! Fuck, why are my eyes so wet?!<br/>Already tears were rolling down my face as I frustratingly wiped them away. Wally seemed to notice the irony too, because he let out a soft laugh. And then it degraded into sobs. It was his turn to seize me in a tight embrace before crying uncontrollably.</p><p>“<strong>I PROMISE I’LL TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, SENPAI! PLEASE DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME!</strong>”</p><p>“<strong>SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT! OF COURSE I’LL WORRY ABOUT YOU! YOU AND BRENDAN ARE THE BEST FRIENDS I’LL EVER HAVE!</strong>”</p><p>I don’t know how long Wally and I spent holding each other while bawling in the middle of public, but it felt like an eternity too short.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From the edge of Lilycove's wet, sandy shore, Revali, Brendan and I got into Kyogre's back and headed towards Team Magma's ‘secret hideout’. Knowing Maxie himself, he rarely left his office these days. I was glad for it since this was a mission to interrogate him. Though, part of me wasn’t entirely focused on the plan.<br/>It hadn’t been an hour since we said our goodbyes to Wally, and the painful lump in my throat didn’t completely disappear. What if the venture was a bust? I really hope it wouldn’t be, otherwise, the time that could’ve been spent towards our friend would be wasted. He deserved a better send off than that lame wave of hands. My mind was slowly starting do descend into a heavy gloom as I sat on top of the giant whale. Then suddenly, a warm hand fell on my back. I snapped my head to the side, back to reality where a sad-smiling Brendan was in my vision.<br/>“Hey. I know you’re upset about Wally, but he’ll be alright. We didn’t make a big deal out of it like we promised him, and we’ll all meet back up just the same. I’m sure he doesn’t want you all mopey, right?”<br/>“Y-yeah, but-”<br/>“Right?”<br/>“... Right,”<br/>It didn’t make me feel any better, but if I didn’t attempt to pretend like it did, he wouldn’t stop trying to cheer me up. He was always like that. Well-meaning, comforting and trying his hardest to pull the best outta somebody. Unlike my dad, his own had greatly influenced Brendan’s kind nature. I was fortunate since it got me out of that almost cult-like mindset; which had nearly been permanently cemented in me. Thank arceus he’s a different man now, but the path he took to get where he was must’ve been incredibly painful. <br/>I managed the world’s most unconvincing attempt at smile, that looked like I was too young to have a stroke. Even Revali had this expression on his face that read ‘completely disturbed’. Brendan however, took the try with stride and a jubilant thumbs up. Why does that actually make me want to smile? And my heart... it’s... it’s beating so fast. <br/>Suddenly, there was this hot flush I could feel warming my cheeks. Immediately, I quickly frowned and shook my head to get rid of it. My characteristically kind friend raised a brow, to which I responded:<br/>“I-I-I got something in my eye! It’s gone now,”<br/>“Oh... uh okay,”<br/>He seemed to buy my excuse as I feigned trying to pick out invisible debris and looking satisfied. He turned his head to look at the dark, foreboding cove we quickly approached. Using an ancient, giant water-type does in-fact help speed things along. His face morphed into one of resolve. “There’s gotta be something to go off here... I can feel it,” he said with a tone of voice that had nearly been a whisper. <br/>Brendan had a point, there was so much we couldn’t fathom with the robbery at the Space Lab, Maxie and his band of humanitarian goons just had to give us SOMETHING!</p>
<hr/>
<p><br/>“Hm, May Maple... why are you here? You can’t simply show up whenever you feel like it. And did you drag your friends here? It’s not some place to lounge around! The Great Maxie isn’t some babysitter!”<br/>Tabitha gave me an incredibly rude stare down as we stood up in the ‘secret hideout’ lobby. Since I beat Maxie in battle and made him see the error of his ways, the grunts and staff of Team Magma treated me a little more decently. From setting foot on their docks, to requesting for the big nerd himself, it was a civilized affair; although asking for him was like pulling teeth. The lobby secretary seemed offended that I would dare try bothering him. She instead summoned his right-hand man, Tabitha to deal with us. He had also chided us for trying to get his ass down here. The response had been a glorious maneuver of eye-rolling and a scoff.<br/>“We’re not here on some field trip, nerd! Get over yourself and find your dumb boss! Something happened at Mossdeep’s Space Lab, and we want answers!”<br/>“Answers-… do you think the powerful Team Magma had something to do with that?! How indignant!” he replied with an angry scowl. Revali (for the sake of secrecy) kept his mouth shut. Brendan however, was free to get between us to intervene. His hands were thrown up in a disarming manner.<br/>“Hang on, we’re all adults here! All we wanna do is ask Maxie some questions! There’s no reason why we can’t do that, right?”<br/>“Yeah, like if he turned back into a dirty scumbag!”<br/>“You little brat! How dare you insult him!? He was the one who let you keep your indestructible exploration suit! I’m insulted that this is how you repay him!”<br/>“I don’t need it if it's gonna be a bribe!”<br/>“Hang on, May! Let’s jus-”<br/>I nudged him out of the way to bang foreheads with Tabitha. Dam it hurt, but I wasn’t going to be outdone by some brainless stooge!<br/>The air grew heavy in tension as the pressure we applied between our skulls got harder by the second. It was interesting how the drawn-out grunts of our pain were the only noises hanging in the air. I didn’t dare take my eyes off of Maxie’s second-in-command, but I'm sure we both felt everyone’s gazes trained on us. The hardest part for me was his height and weight advantage. Sure I was a very strong girl, but the admins and leaders of both gangs definitely had a leg up on me. Brendan strangely enough, had a better time against them. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when my knees began to wobble; the beginnings of my fail-<strong>BAM</strong>!<br/>In an instant, Tabitha relented and then came back down on my skull with a vicious headbutt that landed me right on my ass. <strong>GOOD ARCEUS! WHAT WAS THAT NOISE</strong>?! <strong>DID HE CRACK MY FUCKING HEAD</strong>?!<br/>While stars were dancing in my vision, I had enough sense to frantically feel the top of my skull. No wet spots; no unnatural dents. <strong>OH THANK ARCEUS</strong>! <br/>“May!” I vaguely heard Brendan in the midst of mental turmoil. A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist to struggle pulling me up to my feet. Unfortunately for him, my equilibrium was still spinning as I tried moving my legs.<br/>"That’ll teach ya to mess with me! Now get the fuck outta here!”<br/>“Just a moment, Tabitha,”<br/>A new voice entered the situation. It was calm, even and precise. It was also one that Brendan and I knew a little too well. After a few moments of flopping to get me back up, and rubbing my face to clear the hallucinations, we paused. Just in time for the stars to give way to double visions; slowly putting into focus of the leader of Team Magma stepping away from the shadows with hands behind his back. As always, his posture was no nonsense with a bored expression. Honestly, if he didn’t claim to be a humanitarian, I’d assume he would’ve been tired of humanity’s dumb shit. Everyone but Revali and I were surprised by his sudden appearance. The Rito (being a giant bird and all) must’ve already sensed his presence. I was still getting over having my brain rattled around, so it was more of confusion than anything else. For a moment, there was this odd silence while he scanned everyone’s faces to gauge their reactions. Treating everyone in the room with an equal amount of time of which his gaze had settled upon them. Then he was the first to break the pause.<br/>“So you’ve come. Given what happened the last time I was involved, I can’t say I blame you for laying suspicion,”<br/>Brendan raised an eyebrow.<br/>“Well, yeah. You’re still kinda on our radar because of the... ‘Groudon incident’. No offense. We just wanna ask you some questions,”<br/>“I wasn’t referring to that, but I have nothing to hide, so feel free to interrogate me any way you wish,”<br/>My friend was suddenly puzzled and looked down at me in his hold. At this point, I sorta had a clearer head and found proper footing. I rose up to where my head was juuuust underneath Brendan’s chin. Oh, he’s talking about that <em>other</em> time. Something I still felt awkward about, but was a necessity in the end. I spoke up to direct the conversation away from the topic.<br/>“Whatever, man! So spill it! Where were you when the Space Museum Lab was robbed?!”<br/>“Here,”<br/>“OH REALLY?!”<br/>“No, I actually went to go steal rocket fuel to dump into a volcano,”<br/>“HUH?”<br/>“Of course I was here. The endless stacks of paper and numerous projects have been keeping me busy. And you should know me by now: If I were to do something so significant, I’d make sure the whole world knew about it, not lurk around in the dark like some filthy rattata,“<br/>I paused. Hearing him explain his innocence made me realize how right he was. From the moment I first spotted one of his grunts in Petalburg woods, to when he was laughing manically in the place where Groudon previously slept, it absolutely mattered to the man that Team Magma was made visible to the public eye... aside from that one time. Cracks to my suspicion started to show, but I needed to be sure before writing Maxie off.<br/>“How about you show me your security cameras? I know you got some last year, right?”<br/>“I did. But I would prefer it if you went along with Tabitha to view them. He’s the one who oversees most of my security, and therefore knows his way around the mountains of security footage. Oh... and the flying-type stays here. The room isn’t made to handle more than four people. Unless you’d like to withdraw it... what Pokémon is this again?”<br/>Even with odd fascination in his tone, there was no break in expression in his features. Maxie simply adjusted his glasses as he walked up to Revali. The Rito had stood there in defensive silence to study the new figure before him. Oh boy.<br/>“Great Maxie, sir!” said Tabitha. “I think that’s supposed to be a new species, called a ‘Ravioli’. Theorists are saying it’s a mixed variant of a farfetch’d and a swellow,”<br/>Revali didn’t look pleased at the continuous mix-up.<br/>“Good arceus, who came up with that? It clearly doesn’t have the same intimidation factor as a swellow. And this one isn’t holding a leek. Obviously, they haven’t been theorizing enough. Anyway, please go escort Miss Maple and Mr. Birch to security please. I don’t want this debacle eating up my day,”    <br/>“Yes, sir!” Tabitha said with an obedient salute before looking at us. Signaling us with rushed hand gestures and nearly attempted dragging us towards the hallway. I had to shoot a dirty look at Maxie’s super loyal nerd in order for him to stop. Something that obviously didn’t happen, and only resulted in a semi-serious threat. One that entailed his heavy boot launching my ass to our destination. The only consolation was Brendan intertwining his hand with mine along the way. Leaving Revali behind once again with a bunch of strangers.<br/>Unlike the others he had encountered previously, these people were in uniform and all business formality. They all stared back at him as if they waited for Revali to slip up. It was an uncomfortable position to be put in, but he wasn’t willing to try being put into those suspicious capturing devices just as show of disguise. He wondered if it even worked on him, an intelligent, mighty Rito. He’d highly doubt it. But he could at least admit it might’ve saved him from the penetrating stares. More so from the man who claimed the title as ‘The Great Maxie’. What a pretentious name. <br/>Speaking of which, the man glanced at both sides of himself and let out a sigh.<br/>“What are you all still standing here for? I don’t recall anyone taking a break; back to work,” he commanded with an eerily even tone in his voice. <br/>All at once, the man’s followers instantly abandoned their curiosity and resumed their tasks. The woman who worked the desk, had started to sit down and organize papers, but was stopped in her tracks.<br/>“No, not you. You’re going to get me coffee; and not the kind in the break room. Go into the city and get the brand that I like. Just because Tabitha holds a monopoly on that mud, doesn’t mean I have to deal with it,”<br/>“But I-”<br/>“Tabitha isn’t your boss, I am. You would do well to remember that,”<br/>With no room for a retort, the woman simply bowed and left the lobby. Revali watched her go with suspicion lurking on the surface of his thoughts. There was something the man had known even before he decided to show himself. Making all those people leave at his own command had simply confirmed it. <br/>Meanwhile, the leader, Maxie casually walked past the Rito to sit on the lobby sofa. And while his features expressed that it was just another normal day, the way he leaned forward and clasped put his fingers together said something else entirely. Revali’s hand gripped his bow a little more tightly while staring back at this oddity of a human. <br/>“Hm. How curious,” the man had finally replied. “For a bird, you aren’t chatty. Even swellows tend to speak up every now and then,”<br/>Revali remained quiet.<br/>“On the other hand, beings with higher levels of sentience tend to pick and choose when to speak; although that Maple child seems to be an exception to the rule at times. Wouldn’t you agree?”<br/>Despite the obvious failure of his disguise of ignorance, Revali still refused to talk. This was when Maxie took a moment to adjust his glasses. The action, while seeming akin to a normal affair, held some air of serious intentions. The even line his mouth had been stuck in, turned into a frown.<br/>“There are things in this world I may not know, but even a fool can tell that May Maple’s business here and your appearance isn’t some coincidence. Or did you think you could take me to be ignorant?”<br/>The Rito Champion was taken back. Having the conversation to take a turn into the start of an interrogation did not sit well with him. Evidently, he had been thinking differently about Revali’s manifestation ever since news of his existence spread through the land. Truth be told, it was a refreshing thought that he wasn’t taken lightly. Aside from the group directly involved, every human had made him out to be some wondrous spectacle (as they should). But such constantly trusting natures often bred disastrous consequences. That said, Revali didn’t like the way Maxie bored into him.<br/>“That little girl I sent away with Tabitha may seem like an obnoxious brat, but even<em> I</em>, The Great and Powerful Maxie, hold her in some regard...” he continued as his eyes briefly glazed over in thought to some memory. Even if it hadn’t been so, the words he emanated gave away evidence of a meaningful relationship. How a grown man could garner respect towards a girl so young would’ve confused Revali, if he hadn’t met May Maple first. On the way, the two young adults had told him Team Magma had a less than honorable past, and that there was some slim chance the temptation of wrong-doing had gotten ahold of them once more. <br/>Strangely enough, Revali started to believe otherwise. The sincerity in his tone had oddly proven his worth. Revali had a keen sense to pick out filthy liars. Although, he wasn’t sure if there were any significant similarities between hylians and humans in a physical sense.  <br/>“... So, you may stay quiet all you like, but I have many resources at my fingertips to seek out the truth. And should I find something that displeases me... keep in mind that your fate won’t have a pleasant end,”<br/>He reached into one of the pockets of his coat, and pulled out a bear-shaped biscuit of some sorts. He didn’t pull it up to his mouth, but simply held it out, as if it was for Revali. A strange gesture after a threat, but it didn’t-wait. <br/>Revali’s hearing had barely caught it, but the flapping of wings suddenly invaded his senses. It was big, heavy and coming for them at a rapid pace. He turned his head, but instead of it appearing where he thought it would, a giant, purple ball with wings and ears suddenly looked as if it came from nowhere and landed right next to the man. A high-pitched screeched filled the air, which had admittedly startled The Champion back some. It looked like an extremely large keese with two eyes, a mouth and feet. It sat up greater than the two and almost wider than them put together. The creature seemed to be drawn to the treat.<br/>The fat thing had lumbered over to Maxie’s hand and carefully took the biscuit before swallowing the thing whole. The man’s hand proceeded to pet his companion’s short fur.<br/>“And please don’t get it into your head that I’m some pushover who’ll have my staff do all the dirty work. I’m not a leader for nothing,”<br/>To imply that he would hunt down and kill Revali himself was laughable. So was the idea of losing to The Calamity. That’s not to say he could accomplish the said threat, but the Rito decided that his second chance at life wouldn’t be rife with careless thinking.<br/>He started to open his beak to say something, but the sound of fast footsteps started echoing loudly from the hallway that led into the lobby. Then came the juvenile, May body-planting into the body of the giant keese. Its blubbery body absorbed the impact of the human with no regard of her affections, but hadn’t shied away from them either.<br/>“CROBAT!” my voice was muffled as I rubbed my face against the animal. It let out a low shriek. I raised my head to look up at its face. “How ya been?! Has your nerdy partner been taking good care of you? I mean, you can always come with me and dump this boring loser,”<br/>Crobat made no response to the offer, but stared back to observe my movements. I puffed out my cheeks like I had been annoyed. Funny how two years ago changes a person.<br/>Back when Team Magma was up to no good, I used to passionately hate Maxie’s crobat. The poison/flying-type bastard had brought to my attention that certain Pokémon could evolve through love and affection from their trainers. It made me annoyed to no end to think that someone as evil as he was, had capability to be a kind to another living thing. It even had the balls to swallow Dustox’s model ship whole (which it later coughed up). And now? Well, it kinda grew on me.<br/>Behind me, Brendan and Tabitha had caught up to us. My friend let out a chuckle with the shake of his head, while Tabitha looked offended that I would treat Maxie’s favorite Pokémon like he was my plaything. Trust me, after looking over old security footage of nothing damning, you’d want to loosen up too. It hadn’t been that long, but all the focus I used to scope out EVERY detail of EVERY second in the tape got me mentally drained. He was in one spot doing the same dam thing for six hours! Who does that?! I get antsy after ten minutes! <strong>ARRGH</strong>!<br/>So I needed something to cuddle up to and adore. Yeah, I could’ve just used my Pokémon or made my very best friend hold me in his arms again the way I liked, but hearing crobat got me more excited. Its been a while since I saw Maxie and his Pokémon.<br/>“Done already? I thought you would be analyzing every pixel on the screen, or actually putting the tapes up against the light,”<br/>My face immediately flushed red. Maxie didn’t sound insulted, but I felt like an ass upon realizing how explosive I initially was towards accusing him. However, admitting it was difficult to do. So instead of apologizing, I turned up my head, with my nose pointed in the air.<br/>“<strong>HMPH</strong>! Just be glad you’re off my shitlist! I’d hate to have to kick your poindexter ass for another reason!”<br/>“You little shit! Don’t talk to our Great Leader that way!”<br/>“Bite me, stooge! I can talk to him however I want! But be lucky that I have more important things to do than hang around here! Come on, Brendan! Ravioli! Let’s go!”<br/>I immediately hopped off crobat, giving him one final pat, before pulling away to grab Revali’s wing. Brendan just let out a long breath of small disappointment and went to join us. Meanwhile, Maxie got up from his seat as Tabitha looked like he was about to kill us.<br/>“Stupid brat! I’ll kick your ass the next time I seen you!”<br/>“You too! And get better snacks next time! The ones you had tasted like shit!”<br/>We picked up the pace a little faster after that comment, but thankfully, Tabitha didn’t give us any grief. A quick back glance revealed his face a deep red and in fuming, but was held back by Maxie.<br/>“… Well, it was really good to see them again!”<br/>“Yeah! We need to do that again sometime!”<br/>“What???”</p>
<hr/>
<p><br/>“THOSE little fuckers!”<br/>“Language, Tabitha,”<br/>“Excuse me, Great Leader. Its just that... ARUGH! I can’t hate them, but they piss me off!”<br/>“Understandable. However, I feel as if there is something happening in our midst. They were right in considering us as suspects because of the nature of the crime,”<br/>“What?”<br/>“I’ve been hearing reports from our field agents about certain Pokémon trainers have been obtaining recently. Strangely more aggressive; even attacking people without provocation,”<br/>“Well, of course, but the robbery at the Space Museum Lab? What does that have to do with anything?”<br/>“... Tabitha... did you forget what happened the last time the dimensional-shifter was involved with something?”</p>
<hr/>
<p><br/>After reaching the shores of the mainland, the sun was beginning to dip low on the horizon, and we decided to spend the night in an inn. I left it up to my friend to help us pick which one to stay in.<br/>“According to the reviews I’m seeing, the Cove Lily Motel is a pretty good place-“<br/><strong>"NO</strong>!”<br/>Brendan and Revali looked up from the Pokénav to see my face a bright shade of red. They looked confused. However, Brendan quickly did another glance downwards and suggested something else.<br/>“Okay… how about the Sea Breeze Inn? That’s also a decent place to crash for the night?”<br/>“Uhh... yeah, that’s good!” I tried to recover, but it was too transparent on how off I sounded from my initial response. I quickly said something to dodge any hint of questions. <br/>“Is it close by or what? All that craziness from today has got me WIPED,”<br/>“Well uh, yeah. It's close to the Pokémon Spectacular Center,”<br/>“Cool, cool, cool. Let’s roll then,” I said very dismissively and out of happened to glance at my friend out of habit. The face he wore screamed expressions of suspicion, but quickly snapped my head forward again and pretended to notice nothing. The sooner we could sleep, the sooner we can leave and forget. At least that’s what I hoped to achieve as I forced myself into a casual stroll. Keeping my pace just a little faster than my two traveling companions.<br/>The first sign of glimmering stars peaked out when we arrived at the inn. A fairly modest establishment resembled a larger version of trainer rest houses littered throughout the region. I had always liked the Johto-style aesthetic of them since it reminded me of my old home. The traditional brown, clay rooftiles and wood and stone exterior mixed with adobe will always be something I had a fondness for. Even if I got super rich overnight, I could never fantasize myself in anything grander. <br/>I was the first to pass the threshold of the inn to be greeted by the hostess. Since it was just the three of us now, we decided to pack together in a single room. Since this place showed additional signs of Johtoian influence, I gambled on the fact that the bed, or futons would be in the room. Thus, one of us could just pull out a sleeping bag to compensate. And much to my delight, my chances had paid off when it was inquired. I could barely contain my excitement as I grabbed the key from the old hostess’ hands.<br/>“Come on, guys! What are you slow for?!” I exclaimed before immediately taking off running up the steps. Finding the room wasn’t a challenge (thank arceus), and once we settled into the room, it was lights out.<br/>Or so I thought.<br/>When the room was dark, and all that initial happiness fully settled, another feeling had crept up again. The same one I briefly felt earlier. One that kept my eyes open despite the desire to close them for a good night’s rest. It made me have them fixated on the ceiling in tormented thought… and need. That’s when I had to get up and go to the bathroom. Before I tried though, I slowly panned my eyes towards Brendan and Revali’s sleeping forms in the dark. While they had moved only slightly, the two weren’t up like I was. It made me envy them.<br/>Reluctantly, the top half of my body rose to sit up momentarily. I hated myself so much. How does anyone actually want to be friends with me? I feel like I’m as bad as the people I despise. <br/>When I shakily came to stand, the burning pain of lust hit me a thousand times worse; which made me so miserable. It nearly made me trip on my own feet like I suddenly forgot to walk. Stalking towards the bathroom was awful as memories I wished were unpleasant replayed in my head.<br/>Soft, comforting lips... a possessive hold over my body... a thick accent laced with praises that would made me giddy... I hated him so much.<br/>It would plague me every once in a while, and would drive me up the wall in insanity the longer I let it fester inside me. Not even my parents knew about what I had been cursed with, because that would involve spilling a secret that I promised I’d take to the grave with me. Of course, if I anything ever got out, I would have to kill myself in the process all the same. With that said, it’s eating me alive anyway.<br/>Once I turned the doorknob and let myself in, I had to quietly close the door before sitting on top of the toilet. That intense pain momentarily made me squeeze my legs together, before having to pry them open with a hand. And with that same hand, I used it to lightly brush between my thighs; lightly alleviating the painful pleasure with a mix of relief and shame. It felt even more disgusting when a longing sigh dared to come out of me. Sounding like I was supposed to be on cloud nine or some dumb fucking delusion.<br/>Remembering the Cove Lily hotel drudged up things that made my heart flutter something wild. Even if the snippet, what came before and after that had been for sinister purposes, I couldn’t help but STILL enamored by mere thoughts. Just for a minute, my eyelids slowly closed to focus on calming down that fiery ache-<br/>*Knock, knock*<br/>Every joint in my body froze up as the sound of a fist lightly rapping against the door broke my thoughts.<br/>“May?” came a soft voice on the other side of the wood.<br/>It’s Brendan. Did he have to use the bathroom? Fuck! I must’ve woken him up after all!<br/>“J-just gimme a minute!” I replied with my tone just above a mumble. Half worried, and the half annoyed that I would be cut short.<br/>“No, I just… I wanted to make sure you’re okay,”<br/>“I’m fine! Don’t worry!”<br/>“… okay,”<br/>I strained my ears to see if he would add anything else, but all I could hear were lightly retreating footsteps. *sighs* thank arceus, and fuck.</p>
<p> <br/><strong><em>-Ten minutes later-</em></strong></p>
<p><br/>I finally came out of the bathroom as quiet as I could; temporarily appeasing my sick mind for now. When I had turned off the light and closed the door, I noticed Brendan hadn’t been occupying his sleeping bag. Strange, but maybe he really did need to use the bathroom after all. He was just probably being nice going about it; which also made me feel like I dropped down a rung in decency. Hopefully he found one already.<br/>Crawling back into my futon, I curled up into a ball and forced my eyes shut to make sleep take me away.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N:  Hi everyone! Thank you for reading once again! I know its been a minute since I posted another chapter, but thank you for your patience! As always, you can find me on Tumblr with the same username. Otherwise, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning unexpectedly dragged when Revali, Brendan and I got ready. Mostly because my best friend’s eyes had dark bags under them as he constantly yawned. His mood was pretty dampened too. The last I remembered; he had been absent from his sleeping bag. How long did he stay up?</p><p>This evidence was backed-up by the fact he chose straight black coffee, rather than juice, or even having it sweetened. I raised a brow quizzically while we had breakfast in the dining area of the inn.</p><p>“Brendan, you okay?” I asked with a dry voice, after roughly swallowing down toast. The person in question, rubbed his tired gaze vigorously before managing to croak out the simple words of: “Yeah, just couldn’t sleep,”</p><p>I did a quick glance at Revali; he minded his own business while eating his fill of fish. The response was almost too casual, but it wasn’t enough to warrant any serious suspicion of something amiss. Maybe he was taking this whole thing with Revali a lot harder than I thought. Don’t know why though, since I was the one who got us into this debacle in the first place. He’s technically going above and beyond to help me fix my mistake.</p><p>“Well...” I said trying to choose my words carefully. “...Then maybe you should stay behind today. Going to see Archie isn’t going to be as easy as Maxie,”</p><p>Our feathery companion heard my words and looked up from his meal. He had a very justifiably concerned look on his face.</p><p>“Why won’t it be as easy as Maxie?”</p><p>I let out a grim laugh.</p><p>Archie, the leader of the infamous Team Aqua, was a wild man. Maxie had been the cold, calculating brains of his organization. His counterpart, was chaotic, energetic and an absolute pillar of immense strength of his. There had only been a few number of times where he<em> hadn’t</em> been on the forefront of clashes against the rival team in the past. That hunk of human flesh never failed to easily subdue me like I was wet paper. The worst part? His ability to drive most people over the edge of their sanity. He annoyed many, MANY people with his over jolly nature and careless attitude. In my travels, he had proved himself to be the WORST traveling partner on the entire planet! How fitting of a personality who cares more for the well-being of Pokémon than people. Oh, good arceus, this is making me not wanna go.</p><p>“I mean, we really want his cousin, Shelly. But uh, let’s just say you’ll be more comfortable than we will,”</p><p>“Ah. Then <em>I </em>don’t see a problem,”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Revali eventually saw a problem.</p><p>Aside from the issue of Team Aqua's base being in the middle of the ocean, it snowballed into going <em>underneath</em> it to reach the hidden sea cavern. Used to being free in the skies, or at least under it, Revali found it hard to adjust to the cold, semi-illuminated path of the path to the hideout. Funny how they chose Groudon's and Kyogre’s former resting place.</p><p>I almost laughed at how uncomfortable the Rito looked being damp from the sea water. Luckily, I was able to hold in a snort that was dying to burst out. Brendan looked less distracted with his thoughts, but trailed a little further behind Revali and I. Okay, something was eating away at him, and I was gonna beat it outta him if he got too mopey. However, those thoughts were scattered when my ears picked up the small echoes of death metal bouncing off the wet rock. We were getting close…<em>fabulous</em>.</p><p>I glanced beside myself to see Revali already looking bothered from the music since he can hear better than us. He wouldn’t have to worry for much longer when we crash the party and start interrogating some punks. Maybe now I actually stand a chance against Archie himself and slapping him around will be an easy feat. Crossing my fingers seems pretty superstitious while having the thought, but who knows if it might come in handy.</p><p>The three of us reach the vast space of the cavern where the terrible titans of Hoenn once slept; now turned into a place where the party seemed to never end. Many of the Team Aqua grunts were whooping and laughing in their little cliques of people over the loud music. A lot of them had beer sloshing about in their jugs, with some tripping over themselves and spilling it. There were some in their drunken state who tried to pick up their teammates, do stupid stunts or get tattoos. That last one drudged up an old memory of Wally when we saw someone sporting a wailmer tattoo on his bicep. Anyway, the party’s over.</p><p>I started off by grabbing the nearest Aqua grunt I could get my hands on and started our demands.</p><p>“Hey you! Where’s Archie?!”</p><p>“Heeeeeeeeeeey! It’s the Lil' scamp! How ya been? Grab a drink! Have some fun-“</p><p>Suddenly he jolted in the craziest way that prompted me to let him go. A good thing too since he threw up on the ground in the next second. I couldn’t help making a disgusted look.</p><p>“Charming! Any chance of finding someone not under the influence?!” asked Revali over the ear-ringing music.</p><p>“Yeah! It happens to be the one we’re looking for! But we can’t get her attention with all this noise! We gotta get to the boom box!”</p><p>“The what?!”</p><p>“The thing playing the arceus awful music!”</p><p>I motion for the both of them to follow my lead through the crowd of gangsters. Navigating through them was a terrible chore since we squeezed through people doing…some really weird things. I broke up a couple who was making out as we passed by. The girl looked pissed, but it wouldn’t compare to the hundreds of flailing arms or elbows that would unintentionally beat against us. I think I had been jabbed over several times on my side. Revali’s Feathers looked completely mussed from all the touching he’d gone under. I never did enjoy feeling like a packaged piece of meat. Why are there people who do this on a regular basis for fun? Thankfully, these were the only note-worthy things that happened when we reached the loud boom box.</p><p>Once we got close to the machine, a thought came into my head. A devious one, but it's not like Team Aqua's ever been easy for Brendan and I.</p><p>The boom box on the shoddy, plastic party table also shared the company of a few drunken grunts who were unaware of what was about to happen. They just chatted along with their buddies about how much beer they can chug before passing out…shortly before seeing their reflection on a metal blade as it passed their faces and went clean through the boom box and table. The two objects instantly split in half and crumpled to the floor. The electronic device sparked out as it broke into smaller pieces. The ear canal-blowing noise of the music finally stopped.</p><p>There were confused voices, and then:</p><p>“Alright you Team Aqua losers! Which one of you knows where your lame boss’ cousin is?!” I demanded as I held Aegislash's hilt with both hands. The detailed, dull gold shield was equipped on my right arm.</p><p>Revali looked astounded as he suddenly realized that I had what looked like a weapon. Technically it was, but really it was a ghost/steel-type Pokémon you needed to train hard in order for it to look as cool as this. From a faraway region, Aegislash had been a unique case in terms of wielding his power. Mostly because people couldn’t just pick up one like I did and swing it around.</p><p>And Brendan? Well, he was casually standing by with little fear, but mostly because he was half distracted. <strong><em>*SIGH*</em></strong> He is LUCKY that I’m keeping better watch, or he would’ve been pummeled to the ground by these drunken partiers. Nevertheless, we stood in a tight knit group.</p><p>We were (almost) looking as serious as can be, but the suspects in question just took one glance at us and howled with laughter; more notably though, I caught one that was more jolly and louder than the rest.</p><p><em>He’s</em> here.</p><p>Sure enough, we could see some of the grunts bring pushed aside as someone came near us. The three of us braced for it: A man looking more built and scruffier than the rest descended upon us with a full jug of beer in hand. Still laughing like a maniac from being drunk. I held up Aegislash threateningly as a warning for the moron, Archie. Still sporting that lame custom scuba suit.</p><p>“Lil' scaaaaamp! Hey! Welcome back! I guess you’re finally ready to join Team Aqua, eh?!”</p><p>“Not on your life, pal! Where’s Shelly?!”</p><p>He stopped to think about that for a minute; although it must’ve been a difficult task by the look on his alcohol-flushed face. Meanwhile, I edged the tip of my Pokémon's blade near Archie's neck. Revali suddenly felt the need to elbow me.</p><p>“Hey” he hissed with a whisper. “We came here for answers, not to slit a man's throat. Be careful with that blade,”</p><p>“It’ll be fine! I’m just doing it as a scare tactic!”</p><p>“He looks too intoxicated to notice!”</p><p>While the two of us griped with each other, Brendan was the only one who noticed Archie dump his jug of beer all over Aegislash when he turned too quickly. The pungent liquid dripped all over his form. My Pokémon unwittingly absorbed the alcohol, and suddenly became dizzy.</p><p>“May!”</p><p>Revali and I stopped just as I felt it get heavier in my hands. His long ‘arms’ that intertwined down mine were hanging loosely. “Aegislash! What’s going on!?” I tried to ask it. But it was too late, as it then dropped to the ground with a clatter. What the hell just happened?!</p><p>“The beer! Archie dumped it all over Aegislash!”</p><p>“He got my Pokémon drunk?! I didn’t even know that can happen!”</p><p>But it did. And as long as he was out of commission, I couldn’t use him for anything. This got me furious while taking up the alcohol-soaked living sword. He was half my body height, so it looked a little silly holding him in my arms while fiddling around my belt for his ball. I was forced to withdraw him with a scowl. Archie is just begging for an ass-kicking! Speaking of which, he scratched the top of his head and looked back at us.</p><p>“Shelly, Shelly…I dunno…doin' nerd stuff, I guess. Shelly ain’t no fun like I am when it comes to parties,”</p><p>“You thug piece of shit! Look what you did!” I heavily critiqued while taking out my battle partner's pokeball; practically climbing on top of him to wave the object in his face. Brendan possessed enough strength to stop me from slamming Aegislash’s containment repeatedly on him. This fucker appeared in no less than five minutes and he’s already causing me grief. You couldn’t believe how hard I wanted to deck him. My brain really wanted to <strong>EXPLODE</strong> in the process.</p><p>With a fuming head and a puckered face, I put both my arms around Brendan and Revali to butt our heads together like we were in a huddle.</p><p>“Okay boys, Archie's too much of a drunk dumbass to be useful,”</p><p>“Aren’t you being too mean about it?”</p><p>“NO. But that aside, that means we’ll have to find her ourselves,”</p><p>“Great. I don’t suppose either one of you two know where to look,”</p><p>“Actually, I’m the only one. May’s never been to this place as a Team Aqua Hideout,”</p><p>Right. After he defeated them, my friend had thought it would be best to continue to monitor them. Their rowdy reputation could go off the rails at the drop of a hat if he didn’t check up on them on a regular basis. Thank arceus Maxie had enough sense to not motivate my laziness.</p><p>“Okay, so now that we know what to do, let’s hurry this up,”</p><p>Brendan nodded as well as Revali. The three of us began to leave Archie and the rest of the party-goers behind. Well, we tried to anyway. The Team Aqua boss, even in his drunken state, kept tailing us with uneven steps and going on about how great life was now that his ‘organization’ re-formed. His ramblings made us go faster, but he seemed to keep pace with us pretty well.</p><p>“So I was saying to Shelly the other day…Brawny…that guy was a class act! He’s the bestest mate a guy can have…he’s…he’s alright!”</p><p>“Archie,” Brendan called back “Brawny tricked you and Shelly, and tried to destroy the world,”</p><p>“What?! He did all that?! I don’t remember that! He’s right here, ain’t he?” he slurred while grabbing a hold of Revali. Slinging a meaty arm around our companion's uneasy shoulders. The Rito tried recoiling away from him after smelling all the alcohol permeating from his body. However, the scuba thug's grip was too strong and pulled him back; ignoring the two of us. Brendan and I looked at each other. There was a temptation now presenting itself, that we couldn't resist.</p><p>“H-hang on! This idiot’s pulling at me! Wait, why are you two walking faster?! Don’t leave me here with him!”</p><p>“Thanks for watching Archie for us! We’ll be back soon!”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>“I should kill those two brats,”</p><p>Revali was angry that his companions didn’t think twice about abandoning him to the drunken man, who hung all over him like he was some fellow comrade. He had somehow mistaken him for someone else and spilled his guts out. All these strange insecurities and how nostalgic he was about harassing his rival, Maxie. It would’ve been somewhat bearable, if not for the stench of beer permeating from his skin. The Rito was stiff sitting in place.</p><p>“And then there’s Lil' scamp!” he slurred.</p><p>“She’s acts all feisty like a bothered poochyena, but I know what she really is,”</p><p>“*sigh* What’s that?”</p><p>“She’s uh…a girl,”</p><p>“Yes, I noticed,”</p><p>“You did?! You got some keen eyes there…like a Swellow. It took a while for her nerdy boyfriend to notice,”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Her boyfriend! That…Brandon kid! Took him looooong time! She’s a delicate one, that kid,”</p><p>Hm, maybe he wasn’t as foolish as they thought he was. And since he didn’t realize he was talking to a large bird, Revali took the rare opportunity of speaking his mind.</p><p>“Yes, she is. I almost wonder if she’s hiding somethin’,”</p><p>“HAHAHA! Of course she is! You think all that tough shit bravado she makes herself up to be is all co-inky-dink?! She’s just finally winding down from that daddy issue high and kickin’ that pretty boy professor like a nasty habit!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“That’s what I said! Teenagers, right?! Got all the fuckin’ drama without the intrigue. At least Lil’ Scamp likes to kick ass and take names with it,”</p><p>While he could agree that most of them acted like the end of the world was neigh every time something only went <em>slightly</em> awry, there were <em>two</em> exceptions to the rule that sat in his head, clear as day. And since Archie looked like he had lost his wits, Revali took the opportunity to speak his mind.</p><p>“Well...not all of them,”</p><p>“Bullshit! I calls it how I sees it! Even the most professional teen trainers got some kind of sass to bitch about!”</p><p>“Actually...I-”</p><p>He lost his nerve and stopped himself.</p><p>“Nevermind it,”</p><p>“Aw come on! Got me interested, and now you’re gonna blue-ball me?! That ain’t right!”</p><p>“Fine!...It’s just that...an ally-no, friend. She worked tirelessly most of her life. Given her station, it was expected of her to be flawless. There was always this pressure hanging over her head. Then one day, everything...all of her efforts...blew up in her face. I don’t know how she feels now, but I understood what she went through,”</p><p>Revali let out a sigh and realized how much he let off his chest; and he liked that. Meanwhile, Archie sat there and opened a can of beer, swaying slightly as he did so.</p><p>“Then there’s her knight, Link. You couldn’t believe all the insecurities and frustrations I had to deal with for that. How do you deal with insulting a brick wall? Worse yet, a brick wall that somehow trumps hard work with fate? Do you realize how unfair that all is? Quite literally, the man pulls up a sword from a stone pedestal, and his story’s suddenly set in stone. *<strong><em>Sigh* </em></strong>Nevertheless, I owe my life to him. I was trapped in a place I couldn’t escape from, and he freed me without a second thought. Well...the idiot forgot who I was, but he did it anyway. It’s difficult to stay mad at someone who treats you kind-”</p><p>He stopped himself. Recalling his time at the flight range. In the midst of the biting cold, the Rito tirelessly scribbled down his secret emotions in a simple paper journal.</p><p>“Actually...I don’t think I was ever really mad at him. More so jealous. Not once did he say an unkind thing to anyone; not even the princess who harbored the same ill feelings for him in the beginning. Perhaps he understood his duty more than anyone else...that or he was an idiot. But...he’s our idiot nonetheless,”</p><p>It felt good to relieve the tension that could be understood by someone who carried similar burdens, even if they were drunken strangers who couldn’t tell what their comrades looked like. May was right: He was having a better time than they were.</p><p>“Anyway, Princess Zelda and Link aren’t expecting me for several reasons. May has told me not to worry, but it’s easier said than done. Facing the people I’ve failed is one thing; facing royalty who depended on you to stop a menace is…well its different. More so, if we don’t get that dimensional-shifter back, I’ll be stuck here forever,”</p><p>Archie’s expression suddenly perked up. Although it looked incredibly foolish with flushed cheeks.</p><p>“What?! Get the hell outta here! I did a shit-load worth’s of stuff two years ago, and I still got people stickin’ up for me! Hell, that thing with almost drowning the entire planet! You’d think I’d end up in the fuckin’ stockades with people thrown’ shit at me! But now look at me! All respectable and shit...I’m practically a model citi-person-whatever,” he slurred. Slightly tripping himself up near the end.</p><p>“Well yes but-”</p><p>“Are the dumb brats still alive and kickin’?”</p><p>“Yes,”</p><p>“Has the world gone to complete, utter shit?”</p><p>“No,”</p><p>“Then stop losing sleep over it! I sure wouldn't! Shelly sure as shit won’t either! Dam, Brawny…you're losin' your touch!”</p><p>Right.</p><p>He had forgotten for a moment the man thought he was someone else. Still, the pseudo therapy did help. If a grown adult with his inhibitions stripped away can be honest about his fears, then it may turn out well for him too. With that said, it was a much different outcome than the last conversation with his counterpart.    </p><p>“Thanks...I’ll keep that in mind,”     </p><p>Not long after, he could see three figures out of the corner of his eye approach them. It was his travel companions and a strangely dressed woman. She was similar to Archie, but...very provocative. What is with these people?</p><p>“Ravioli!” I greeted the not-so-pleased blue bird who had to deal with Archie's antics. His brows furrowed as I reminded him of the unfortunate nickname. Also, he’s probably angry about leaving him to this asshole. I was also going to have to tell him the bad news.</p><p>“Sorry you came all this way, kids,” said Archie’s cousin, who coincidentally is also his second-in-command. I don’t know if it was because she was more normal than the admins and bosses of the two teams, but I regarded her with less hostility. Brendan had the opposite response.</p><p>“Right. But you’ll let us know if something comes up?” he pressed. She gave him a wink and a smile. He whipped his face around and focused his attention on pulling Revali out of Archie’s grip. That was…weird.</p><p>I raised a brow in confusion, but also getting our friend away from the maniac preoccupied me a little more as I helped Brendan peel Archie off. The Aqua boss was puzzled.</p><p>“Heeeeey! Where are they takin' Brawny?! We were *hic* hangin' out!”</p><p>“That’s their Pokémon, Cuz. You can’t just keep him,”</p><p>“OOOOOOH! No wonder he sounded so different!”</p><p>I rolled my eyes with a groan. The sooner we leave, the better.</p><p>“Yeah, okay! Just be glad that Shelly got you a legit alibi, or my foot would’ve gone so far up that ass, it would’ve broken records!”</p><p>“What kind?”</p><p>“EUGH! NEVERMIND! Let's go boys!”</p><p>And so we didn’t bother looking back or nothing. Being in this damp cavern full of rowdy gang members was more than enough to test my sanity. Brendan didn’t have to be told twice either. Revali was the only one out of the three who didn’t mind having a problem with it.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Little did the trio know after they left, there was this laugh that filled the air. It started out low, and began to grow. Eventually morphing into a crazy, maniacal howl. The amused noise came from Archie, who finished off the beer in his hand before grabbing another. He was a little too excited and ended up breaking the tab before he could open the beverage. The man immediately solved that issue by poking his meaty pinky finger through the perforated opening. Shelly just ended up shaking her head while taking out her cellphone.</p><p>“Those kids…they got a lot of heart. It’s just too bad they don’t got a lot of brains,”</p><p>“GAHAHAHA! I’ll say! They fell for that drunken act like chumps! And Maxie says it would never come in handy. Speaking of which: Get him on the phone, Cuz!” Archie replied before taking in a mouthful.</p><p>Shelly dialed a number, and then handed it to her rowdy cousin, who joyfully snatched it up. The line rang a few times before it picked up.</p><p>
  <em>“Hello?”</em>
</p><p>“Maxie! Ol' buddy! How ya doin'?!”</p><p>
  <em>“Ugh. Just tell me if you found anything,”</em>
</p><p>“Nah! Just some bird boy with emotional problems with a princess and compensating. Seems pretty legit. I don’t know why the fuck you’re so hung up on an overgrown swellow; that twig looked like I could break him in half with a stare,”</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t want the children to get hurt. Don’t think I won’t hold you responsible if something happened because you're not as cautious as you should be,”</em>
</p><p>Even through the alcohol, Archie could feel a headache forming from hearing Maxie’s incessant nagging on the other line. Sometimes, he really wanted to stitch the man’s lips together and hide every pair of scissors on the face of the planet. All he could do for now was roll his eyes.</p><p>“Fuck man, relax will ya? I got a pair of guys on them and so do you. It’s not like I’m not doing jack shit about all of it. And we got bigger problems than a giant blue bird. Nobody knows where the hell that shifter do-hikey is, and that thing is capable of ruining the Earth’s fuckin’ day,”</p><p>
  <em>“You don’t think I know that? I’ve sent field agents following a lead in Kalos, and none of them came back for report. I don’t like the patterns I’m seeing,”</em>
</p><p>“Don’t I know it? The same thing’s happenin’ in Kanto. Its pissing me off that I can’t get a pin on it. But we’ll talk later,”</p><p>Without bothering to hear a reply, he hung up and threw the phone to Shelly; although it missed and hit the floor in pieces. His cousin gives him a glare, for she only got that upgrade just last month. Archie gave kind of a half-hearted shrug with a light chuckle. That wasn’t gonna fly with her.</p><p>“Archie-”</p><p>“Right, right! We’ll stop by the store later on-”</p><p>“<strong><em>*Ahem*</em></strong>”</p><p>“Right now; I meant to say right now,”</p><p>“That’s what I thought you said,”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>I kept biting my pointer finger in thought as we sat down at the tables at Sootropolis’ local café. Both Teams had squeaky alibis. I shouldn’t be mad that they managed to stay out of trouble so far, but there was still the issue that someone had committed a crime and couldn’t be accounted for. Where would we go from here? Should we poke around some more? Look at the crime scene again? Maybe the police wouldn’t appreciate that too much. They’re not used to meddling kids and a giant blue bird. I dunno.</p><p>“What do you guys think?” I asked Brendan and Revali. My friend was halfway through a pastry while Revali dipped his beak in a glass of water. They looked just as unsure. Even when they finished that sip/bite, there was that long, awkward pause to figure out how to answer such a mind-boggling question. It was the Rito who had finally spoken up. Unfortunately, the solution he suggested something that was unfortunately also another logical possibility.</p><p>“Are there not other regions outside this one we can search? Surely, we might gain more answers searching beyond this scope,”</p><p>He was right, of course. But I wish he wasn’t. From the way Brendan looked, he didn’t look too keen either. Still, this might turn out to be a life-or-death situation we can’t ignore. My chest grew tight thinking about every second we didn’t have that dimensional-shifter.</p><p>“There is...one region we could check...”</p><p>It was a good thing I hadn’t gotten anything to eat, because I’m sure the way my stomach tightened, it would’ve immediately thrown up whatever I would’ve tried shoving down there. And I didn’t realize it, but the way Revali side glanced at me, I was probably stiff in the face as well. Brendan scratched the back of his head oddly. We were both side-stepping it, and our companion knew it.</p><p>“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense,”</p><p>“You see...” I started while messing with my fingers. “There was this <em>other</em> criminal organization I beat the living shit out of. They’re supposed to be completely dismantled; at least, I think they are. But the thing is, the place they operated in, is a region called Kalos. Its sorta far and...I’ve got some <em>stuff</em> there,”</p><p>“<em>Stuff</em>? What does that mean?”</p><p>“Stuff that’s got nothin’ to do with you. But if it means that we can catch some sort of break there, then we gotta go,”</p><p>“Right. We should go in the morning to get it over with. I’ll get the tickets. May, call Steven and tell him where we’re going. He can be the one to go back over things here with a fine-tooth comb,”</p><p>“Sounds good,” I said getting up from the small table, taking out my pokenav. For me, any outside noise distracts me from having a decent phone conversation. Sometimes, I stick a finger in my other ear just to retain focus. I feel like anything I catch, even in passing, would corrupt anything I’d reply to. “Be right back,”</p><p>As I found Steven’s number in my contacts, I contemplated also phoning Calem and the rest of the crew. Should I tell them we’re dropping by? It's been a year now, and keeping touch long-distance wise had never been a strong suit of mine. It was also another reason why I dreaded Wally leaving. How long before he’d come back and get upset at my lack of communication?</p><p>I shook the thought from my head and got a hold of the former Champion. The talk was brief, and he muttered a few words of encouragement to steel myself. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d offer to take my place if he wasn’t busy dealing with the fallout. I really wish he did, and I could feel this stabbing, constricting feeling in my ribs. It hurt, and I desperately wanted it to go away. Maybe...maybe if this was some sort of test to see how I could face my fears. Although, even if I looked at it that way, it was still difficult. Whatever, the sooner we get through with it, the better.</p><p>By the time I returned to the group, there was a little bowl of pinap sherbet waiting on the table. It had this small, purple flower sitting on top with a small plastic spoon. I eyed the dessert quizzically. Brendan who sat there with hands folded, looked at me as I sat down.</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>“That’s ice cream,”</p><p>“I know what it is, <em>smartass</em>. I’m asking WHY it's here,”</p><p>He lightly scratched his cheek and laughed.</p><p>“Well, I thought you might want to have something nice and sweet. You didn’t eat anything at all after breakfast. You like that flavor, right?”</p><p>I got silent for a moment; and then that tight feeling suddenly loosened up. Pinap was my favorite flavor.</p><p>Picking up the spoon to scoop out the ice cream, the tangy flavor spread in my mouth and caused a smile to form and dimple my cheeks. I <em>almost</em> held my hands to my face.</p><p>“Thanks,”</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Later on, in the dead of night...</strong> </em>
</p><p>As the group long retired at a hotel in Sootropolis for the evening, only one of them had fallen asleep. Brendan Birch was the one who found that slumber had avoided him as he leaned on the balcony railing to stare up at the full moon. Something he hadn’t done in a while to contemplate his thoughts, for they were in turmoil. And it was because of that, that he didn’t hear the glass door slide open. It had only been until it accidentally slammed closed, did he abruptly break out of his trance and swiftly turn around. It was Revali who had come to join him.</p><p>“A rupee for your thoughts?”</p><p>“A what?”</p><p>“Ah, never mind. Though, I was under the impression that getting sleep to prepare for the Kalos ‘time change’ was important,” </p><p>“Oh,” was all the young man could mutter as he felt distracted from the start of the conversation and slowly turned around. “I’ll just be a minute. No big deal,”</p><p>Revali wasn’t convinced and tilted his head. There was something going on, and if it was going to compromise them, then he needed to know. But instead of demanding, he joined Brendan by the railing to look up at the shining celestial body.</p><p>“You know, the moon seems to hold a strange power. It either lights your way, or unleashes a hellish apocalypse where I come from,”</p><p>“Hah. I read somewhere a little while back about a Pokémon trying to eat the moon. Maybe it's got magic powers,”</p><p>The dialogue of small talk was there, but the energy for it was nearly non-existent. It was an obvious façade to weakly segway into the heart of the problem. Still, it managed to the job.</p><p>“So why are you here? Nobody goes stargazing on the eve on a mission,”</p><p>“Sure they do,”</p><p>Revali turned his head at the boy. He looked very avoidant.</p><p>“Not when there’s something clouding their judgement. You might as well tell me; I’ll find out eventually,”</p><p>Actually he wasn’t sure. It might’ve been a lie, but if something serious affected both of them, then it may turn out be a self-fulfilling prophecy.</p><p>Fortunately his gamble worked. Brendan sighed and ran his hair back.</p><p>“Okay fine! It’s just…*<em>sigh</em>* I-…I really like, like May! I know she’s obnoxious and violent and swears a TON, but she’s honest, ya know? And she treats her Pokémon really well! May’s good where it counts and, and she’s braver than I’ll ever be,”</p><p>His face was flushed through the entire confession. Barely seconds afterward, he dropped his head in his arms with a heavy sigh. Revali would’ve shaken his head with a chuckle if it sounded like it had been the root of the problem. The way Brendan’s stressed demeanor looked reflected something attached to those feelings.</p><p>“…But where we’re going tomorrow…there’s this guy…actually, he’s a professor,” he continued slowly. Clearly hiding his face now, as he hadn’t tried lifting his head up. Suddenly, Revali remembered the drunken conversation he had with Archie. Apparently, the off-hand words meant something more to these two.</p><p>“Well…May used to like him. But he’s the absolute WORST! That guy is a complete sociopath! May could’ve put him in jail, but she didn’t. And I’m worried that if he’s the one behind everything, she’ll just let him go!”</p><p>Hm, that was a serious problem.</p><p>At first, he didn’t know what he could say to comfort him. These kinds of problems sometimes required somebody who already had an insight into their history. But damn it all if he didn’t try; the poor boy sounded so dejected. After taking a deep sigh, Revali too had leaned against the railing with him.</p><p>“You know she wouldn’t do that,”</p><p>“Yes she would. You don’t understand,”</p><p>“I think I do, little boy. She may be brash and uncouth, but she’s not going to just abandon her sense of duty. Her head is a tad too hard to understand the meaning of ‘quit',”</p><p>Revali felt like that explanation alone should’ve at least raised his spirits, but he remained solemn. His face still buried in his arms. This was becoming odd; usually his speeches did something. Maybe a softer approach was needed.</p><p>“Look…come of what happens tomorrow, the three of us will still be together. Even if something happens-“</p><p>“Goodnight Revali,”</p><p>Before he could say anything further, Brendan decided to excuse himself and leave the Rito alone on the balcony. Destined for a restless sleep next to his friend, who was too wrapped up in slumber. Revali shook his head and gazed back at the moon. He felt helpless.</p><p>“…Princess…” he paused as if the admission he was about to make sounded ridiculous. But he pressed forward. “I…I don’t know what I’m doing. If by some strange force you can hear me…please help us get through this,</p>
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